New Zealand 'burp tax' to cost typical large dairy farm more than €11,000 a year

In 2019, New Zealand was one of the first countries to bind its climate commitments into law, including objectives for agriculture.

A herd of dairy cattle in New Zealand being kept cool with sprayed water before milking.

New Zealand's groundbreaking tax on livestock emissions would cost a typical big dairy farm in the country more than €11,000 per year, or about €34 per hectare.

The calculation for a 330-hectare dairy operation assumed the farm would emit 2,600 kg per hectare per year of methane, priced at €0.067 per kg. This 780,000kg emission would cost the farm more than €52,000 in levies.