War on cow gas is stinky but necessary job in climate-change struggle

Targeting cows to fight climate change may seem counterintuitive. Yet, governments from New Zealand to Europe are zeroing in on livestock, whose burps and farts help generate 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year, United Nations estimates show. An industry backlash against plans to tackle the issue will teach punters to treat burgers as polluting fuel.

Digestion and waste from cows and other ruminants produce methane, a gas which is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere in the first 20 years after its release. Cattle is a major contributor to methane emissions from agriculture, which hit 142 metric tons in 2022, triple the amount of those from the oil sector, according to the International Energy Agency.

To meet the 2021 Glasgow pledge to reduce methane in the atmosphere by at least 30% by 2030, European Union states are discussing a proposal to impose emission limits on farms in the 27-nation bloc, which would reduce livestock amounts. In New Zealand, where agriculture makes up more than half the country's harmful gases, the government is looking to tax farmers based on factors like the number of animals kept, the fertilizers used and energy efficiency.

Getting these plans off the ground won't be easy. Farmers in Italy and Germany, which together make up over one quarter of Europe's beef production, are pushing back. True, milk and meat producers could use technology to curb emissions. Dutch specialty chemicals company DSM (DSMN.AS) and Kiwi milk producer Fonterra (FCG.NZ) make feed additives that allow cows to burp less. French dairy giant Danone (DANO.PA) separates solids from liquids in milk production, a process that can cut the methane released by over a fifth. But it's not applicable to every farm and can be pricey.

The current regulatory push could also have some negative consequences. 'Cow fart' taxes will make New Zealand's milk exports more expensive, driving consumer goods companies and retailers to seek cheaper supplies from countries like Saudi Arabia, which emits even more methane. Closing down farms will also kick small players out of a fragmented farming market.

Yet if the price of meat goes up, that will close a gap with plant-based burgers and steaks, which today cost twice as much as animal-based ones, according to the Good Food Institute. That will deter consumers from purchasing chops and sausages and opt for less carbon-intensive alternatives.

The debate will ultimately beef up consumers' awareness of the danger that a growing cattle population poses to climate change. The proposed government policies might not hit the bull's-eye. But like fossil fuels ten years ago, this will be the start of a long but necessary battle.

CONTEXT NEWS

European Union countries agreed on March 16 to try to reduce the number of farms covered by proposed rules to cut pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.

The European Commission, which drafts EU laws, last year proposed that all cattle, pig and poultry farms with over 150 livestock units, around 184,000, abide by emission limits.

French dairy company Danone on Jan. 17 pledged to reduce methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30% by 2030 from its 2020 level.

The New Zealand government in October 2022 proposed a system to levy taxes on farmers based on the level of emissions from their herds, in what has become known as the 'fart tax'.