Jamie Mackay: The Country host on Denmark agreeing to implement world's first tax on emissions

Denmark has agreed on how to implement the world’s first tax on agricultural emissions - including flatulence/farting/burping by livestock.

This comes after months of negotiations between the country’s major parties, farmers, the industry, trade unions and environmental groups.

From 2030, farmers will have to pay a levy of 300 kroner per tonne of methane (as per carbon dioxide equivalent) on emissions from livestock including cows and pigs, which will rise to 750 kroner in 2035. 

The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
With us right now at twenty five pass six as
Jamie McKay, host to the Country. Hey Jamie, can I Eather, Jamie,
you've launched yips, haven't you what? You've launched chips like
Crispies like crisps.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yes, farmers cut potato chips with heartland and we have
our own bear with Emersons to go with it. And
if you weren't heavily pregnant, Heather, you would have been
with us on Tuesday evening at the morning ride to
have them. But but you're You're forgiven. You're forgiven.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
I did notice that my husband's not pregnant and he
wasn't invited.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, no, he was invited. I don't know where he went. Look,
I'm not worried about him and Barry just at the moment.
I'm worried about Catherine Vague as the new green MP. Look,
I don't know about I'm against the banks being the
carbon police big time, and I'm on the receiving end
of it too, as a guy who was someone who's
invested in a dairy farm. Look, and she was talking

(00:52):
about the eighty percent of the markets looking for these
lower mission foods, and I don't doubt that they are
looking for them. Are they paying for them? No? Good Catherine,
who doesn't give many interviews, Thank goodness, name the markets China.
She didn't mention China at all. What's going to happen
with the States under Donald Trump? And as for her

(01:15):
subsidized loans, look, cash strap farmers. I can tell you
this for sure, Heather, that they're over a barrel. They're
going to take one of these subsidized loans. They're going
to try and meet the conditions. They may or may
not meet them, and some of them will take the
subsidized loan and worry about it later. China. You know
what's their main concern? I don't think it's lower missions. Food.

(01:37):
Food security and safety is number one for them. India,
we're looking for an FTA with them. I mean, they're
hardly paragons of lower missions production in their country. So look,
I say to the banks, but out of it farmers.
If you want them to change their practices, do it
at a process A level or a government level process
A level. Preferably pay them a premium for lower missions food.

(02:00):
At the moment, there is no premium, yep.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
I totally agree with you. Speaking of which, though Denmark
has decided to go down the path of the old
fart tax, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, it has I mean Jacinda and co. I mean,
it's probably disappointed Damien David Parker, but they couldn't do
this in their second term. So Denmark is going to
implement the world's first tax on agricultural emissions on they're
saying flatulumps and farthing, but it's not. It's burping from livestock.

(02:28):
So from twenty thirty farmers will have to pay a
levy of three hundred krona. I think that's about fifty
US dollars or something per ton of methane. It's going
to raise to seven hundred and fifty krona in twenty
thirty five, so it's quite significant. According to the Danish
daily newspaper The Copenhagen Post, two hundred and fifty thousand

(02:50):
hecbares of forestry will be planted, and one hundred and
forty thousand hectares of peatlands that are currently being cultivated
will be restored to their natural habitats so they can
be a carbon store. Interestingly, Denmark, at sixty percent of
its total land cultivated, as first equal in the world
with Bangladesh when it comes to percentage of cultivated land,

(03:11):
very intensive agriculture there, and as Party spokesman for the
new coalition said, Danish nature will change in a way
we have not seen since the wetlands were drained in
eighteen sixty four. So I'm sure Catherine can go over
and give some of the lower mission loans over there,
they'll go down.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
I'd go down a treat, Jamie, thanks very much, appreciate it,
Jamie mguy, host of the Country. For more from Heather
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