LATimes

Sunday, May 20 6:30 PM SGT

Tax on flatulent animals could cost NZ farmers a packet

WELLINGTON, May 20 (AFP) -

A flatulence tax proposed to offset the damage to the ozone layer by farm animal gases could cost New Zealand farmers up to five billion NZ dollars (2.1 billion US), a report said Sunday.

The proposal is included in the government's policy on climate change, aimed at complying with the Kyoto Protocol guidelines to reduce greenhouse gases, the Sunday Star-Times reported.

The government is looking at taxing farmers between four and 60 NZ dollars for each cow and sheep they own, because of the dangerous gases the animals produce through dung, urine and flatulence.

Nitrous oxide from dung and urine, and methane from flatulence, are blamed for damaging the ozone layer and contributing to global warming.

New Zealand has nearly 47 million sheep and 10 million beef and dairy cattle.

While New Zealand contributes only 0.2 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions, 55 percent of that comes from methane and nitous oxide in agricultural soil.

The tax proposal suggests that the government could reap between two and five billion NZ dollars from the levy on farm animals between 2008 and 2012.

Farmers are baffled about how to remedy natural animal behaviour and say the tax could make farming uneconomic.

But cabinet minister Pete Hodgson, who is responsible for the government's climate change policy, denied Sunday that a tax was being considered, saying research was the way to go.

"Research into livestock digestion and pasture composition may deliver the double benefit of reducing emissions while improving the efficiency of the animals conversion of food to bodyweight," he said in a statement.

Federated Farmers president Alastair Polson said the tax move -- if it went ahead -- was "a significant shift in the tax burden to the productive economy."

The federation argues that any reduction in emissions New Zealand could make were so small in a global sense that the cost of achieving them would outweigh the benefits.

It will soon release a discussion paper on the proposed tax.

The government aims to introduce climate change legislation by the end of the year, which would lead to the ratification of the protocol by mid-2002.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2001

Answers

And how are they going to prove it is your animals that are farting? Or maybe they will outfit each one with a meter to measure it? I have some friends that just moved back to the states from OZ and stupidity like this is why.

I have a horse that farts a lot - how much is my fine ???

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2001

It So NICE to see the Govy. is all caught up with EVERYTHING, now they have to "tax" us on farting farm animals!!!!!

I have a cat that can put a horse or cow...TOO SHAME! (Bully is his name, and even though he is a sweetie-pic, he weigh 30 lbs plus, and he can clear a room in a heart beat, so we keep him in the shed (CatHouse) out side.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2001

SAR, try Science Diet "Sensitive Stomach." Also, I think chlorophyl helps. We have one (Christmas) who farts audibly--his bark is worse than his bite, so to speak, thank goodness.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001