Denmark's Cow Tax

Denmark's New Cow Tax

July 31, 2024 AGPROfessionals News Desk

Denmark’s New Cow Tax

Denmark passed a tax on livestock farmers in June 2024, that will take effect in 2030. Described as a “historic compromise” by the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, this “cow tax” in Denmark will see farmers pay hefty bills for owning livestock. Farmers with cows, sheep, and pigs are all targeted.

Denmark is the first country to tax their livestock farmers for the simple act of producing food. An article in the Associated Press (AP) reported that with this new tax, farmers will pay 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon dioxide as of 2030. By 2035 the tax will increase to 750 kroner ($108). The AP article also notes that the actual cost will start at 120 kroner ($17.3) in 2030 and increase to 300 kroner ($43) by 2035 due to an income tax deduction of 60%

Ideological Groups Celebrate

Animal and environmental extremist groups are using this new tax as a platform to continue to push their campaign against animal agriculture. Unfortunately, they have been successful at propagating disinformation that has created a negative narrative around animal agriculture. In this case, they are celebrating the new tax and claiming that legislation like the Denmark Cow Tax is necessary to solve a climate crisis. For a number of years, animal rights groups like PETA and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), as well as vegan investment firms and media outlets like CNBC, the BBC, and more, have been pushing for a meat tax in the United States. Some media outlets like Vox and Bloomberg are even referring to a tax on meat as a “sin tax”. On its website, the Center for Biological Diversity is calling for a 90% reduction in beef consumption and a 50% reduction in consumption of all other animal products.

Myths vs. Facts

The AP article on the Denmark Cow Tax claimed that livestock make up 32% of human-caused methane emissions. This is inaccurate. According to an article published by UC Davis Clarity and Leadership for Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR) Center, scientific studies comparing biogenic methane emissions with those from fossil fuels effectively miscalculate the true impact of each on the climate. This places false blame on livestock and agriculture. Furthermore, this miscalculation "severely underestimates" the methane emissions from fossil fuels, in addition to the impact on animal agriculture.

In June 2020, the CLEAR Center published on its website an article titled, “Using Global Emissions Statistics is Distracting Us from Climate Change Solutions”. The article states, “Using global statistics to generalize emissions is a disservice to those countries who efficiently raise livestock while taking away from those countries who can do better”. It lists a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report that shows all global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from livestock accounts for only 14.5% of the total human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. It then states that livestock production in North America, including the United States, Canada, Greenland, and Bermuda, emits only 1.2 percent of all global emissions.

Paid Propaganda

It isn’t just animal and environmental extremist groups that are pushing out propaganda about livestock production and its contribution to GHG. There are a number of media outlets that produce their own pieces critical of animal agriculture as well, and some are even paid to do so. The Guardian is one such publication known for its articles critical of animal agriculture. A recent press release stated:

“Cows, pigs and other farm and livestock in Europe are producing more greenhouse gases every year than all of the bloc’s cars and vans put together, when the impact of their food is taken into account.”

Their press release further claimed that in 2018, livestock on EU farms created 502m tons of carbon dioxide. Cars and vans were responsible for 656m tons of carbon dioxide. However, these statistics contradict each other, as vehicles produced 154m tons more of carbon dioxide in 2018. It also stated that vehicle production has made a conscious effort to limit emissions, but none from animal agriculture. This assertion is inaccurate as well, since livestock groups and researchers, such as those at the UC Davis CLEAR Center, have been actively working on finding solutions for years.

Groups like Open Philanthropy, an organization founded and run by animal activists, have paid The Guardian millions of dollars to write articles disparaging animal agriculture. According to its website, in 2017, Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $886,000 to The Guardian to “support journalism on factory farming and animal cruelty”. In 2020, they recommended another $900,000. In 2021, another $450,000 was sent to The Guardian with the same stated goal.

Despite the information clearly listed on their website, Open Philanthropy contradicts itself by claiming that they have no input on what The Guardian publishes. Stating the following in a press release:

“In keeping with The Guardian’s journalistic and transparent standards, all supported content will be clearly labeled, and Open Philanthropy will have no editorial control over the content ultimately published.” This is a statement that is hardly true, when looking at the content the publication continues to push into mainstream media.

Facts About GHG and Animal Agriculture - UC Davis CLEAR Center Study

With the recent introduction of a "cow tax" in Denmark and the spread of disinformation, propaganda, and pressure to tax meat in America by certain fringe groups and media outlets, it is important for the public and lawmakers to have a clear understanding of the facts about livestock production and greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

A study conducted by UC Davis CLEAR Center found that:

Livestock emit a form of methane called “biogenic methane.”
Biogenic methane is a part of the biogenic carbon cycle, which has occurred steadily for thousands of years.
During the biogenic carbon cycle, atmospheric carbon is sequestered by plants and turned into carbohydrates. Then, those carbohydrates are eaten by animals and released as methane emissions through respiration.
The cycle continues to repeat over time.
There are four main characteristics that set biogenic methane apart from methane emitted from fossil fuels.
Biogenic methane only stays in the atmosphere for about 12 years; it is derived from atmospheric carbon; it is a part of the biogenic carbon cycle; and it eventually returns to the atmosphere as CO2, meaning that it is recycled carbon.

According to the study, methane emitted through fossil fuels is a completely different story. Information provided by a Carbon Brief article shows that non-biogenic methane has 28 times as much global warming potential as CO2. This means that it can exist in the atmosphere for centuries—or even longer. This is an expansive difference in time when compared to the 12-year life of biogenic methane produced by ruminants.

How Livestock Emit Bio-Genic Methane

The Associated Press article also claimed that 90 percent of methane emitted from livestock comes from digestion and is released – primarily by cows – from their belches. While it is true that methane is often emitted through cow belches, the science behind this digestive process is often left out of the discussion. According to a CLEAR Center article, methane emissions start in the stomach long before they come out as a belch.

Cattle are ruminants, which means that they have four stomachs. This allows them to eat high-fiber foods like grass and hay. The first part of the ruminant stomach is the rumen, it makes up 80 percent of the total volume. The rumen digests food without oxygen. This allows animals to break down grasses and other foods that are inedible to humans and turn them into nutrients.

During the rumen digestion process, free hydrogen and carbon dioxide molecules are produced. In addition, methanogens are produced, only accounting for 1 percent of microbes. These microbes form methane when combined with the hydrogen and carbon dioxide molecules in the rumen.

Better Solutions

Instead of the punitive approach of taxing livestock producers, which will only make the cost of healthy food items more expensive, there are other solutions available when it comes to reducing livestock’s GHG footprint. Among these solutions, researchers at the UC Davis CLEAR Center have suggested changing cattle diets and incorporating feed additives to limit methane emissions. In addition to changing cattle diets, certain feed additives can impact the amount of methane that enters the environment. 3-NOP and bromoform are two that stop the methane-forming enzymes.

Feedlot Cattle Produce Less Methane for Every Pound of Feed They Consume

It is interesting to note that the studies conducted by the UC Davis CLEAR Center have shown that feeding cattle a diet of grains and fats can result in reduced methane formation in the gut. A clear example of this occurring can be seen when looking at beef cattle grazing pasture versus beef cattle eating 70 percent grain diets in feedlots. UC Davis Clear Center reports that feedlot cattle produce less methane for every pound of feed they consume.

Farmers and Ranchers Are Dedicated

The facts are that livestock production in the United States accounts for an incredibly small GHG footprint. Despite this, farmers, ranchers, and researchers have been exploring attainable solutions to help limit methane emissions from livestock for years. They have been implementing these solutions as well and should be recognized for their efforts and contributions, not further penalized via taxation on the whim of fringe ideological groups. Farmers and ranchers are the people whose lives are dedicated to providing nutritious, safe, and affordable food to feed the world, not harming it, as these groups would like the public to believe.

Links

AP article on the Denmark Cow Tax HERE

The Guardian on emissions from livestock HERE

Open Philanthropy on Donations to The Guardian HERE HERE and HERE

UC Davis CLEAR Center on Biogenic Methane HERE

UC Davis CLEAR Center on Why Cattle Produce Methane and What We Can Do About It HERE