Denmark is poised to become the first country in the world to put a tax on farm animals like cattle, pigs and other ruminants in an effort to shave climate emissions.
The country’s aim is to reduce Danish greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030.
As initially proposed earlier this year, it would likely have shut down about 80% of the country’s milk production.
However, some offsets have been built into the tax — which would amount to about the equivalent of $100 per head — due to climate smart practices that have been incorporated into operations to reduce the emission of methane.
Cows in Denmark are the most productive in the world and as of 2021, there were 31,000 farms. It is home to the eighth largest dairy company.
The proposal, which is expected to be finalized after government’s summer break, also requires that 17,000 acres be taken out of production and instead be reforested and planted with wetlands.
The issue with greenhouse gases, methane
In the United States, agriculture is responsible for about 10.6% of greenhouse gas emissions.
By comparison, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says transportation makes up 28.5%; industry, 30.1%; residential 15%; and commercial, 15.3%.
Contrary to the fun headlines out there, when a cow emits methane, it is coming out the front end through hearty burps and not so much with gassy flatulence.
Methane is also produced at farming operations via manure, but farmers and ranchers are adopting ways to minimize those releases through covered storage areas and even turning the manure into compost to be spread on fields of alfalfa or using it for biofuel.
Such a transformation has already taken place in Utah in which renewable natural gas has been produced from hog farms.
The agriculture agency’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture last December announced a $10 million investment to counter methane emissions from ruminants as part of a global methane pledge forged in September 2023.
A post by Brownfield detailed the livestock tax and its impacts, especially the fear and concern farmers went through.
Cows are not all bad, however
A May 2022 Congressional Research Service report delved into the role that agriculture, overall, plays in greenhouse emissions and how it also provides “carbon sinks” that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store carbon through physical or biological processes.
The report noted that over the years farmers and ranchers are increasingly utilizing voluntary methods to address their carbon footprint.
“Practices in animal agriculture to reduce GHG emissions include improved feed efficiency and manure management. Some livestock feed can reduce CH4 (methane) emissions from enteric fermentation and increase productivity. Manure management systems can reduce the CH4 that is released into the atmosphere when manure is collected in uncovered lagoons and can use the captured CH4 as an energy source. Anaerobic digesters installed to manage manure and capture and use CH4 are often part of nonfederal voluntary and compliance carbon offset programs,” the report said.
Mitch Hancock, a Corinne dairy farmer, knows all well about the challenges — but rewards — when it comes to dairy farming.
He cannot afford to cut corners because the market dictates the price of what he gets for his milk. He also has 70 employees to support and a legacy to leave behind to his children.
“One of the misconceptions is that we are only doing what we do for profit, but again we have to stay in business. I employ 70 employees on the dairy side of things. And so with 70 employees, our interest is not just the welfare of our cows and welfare of our farm, but it’s also the welfare of our 70 employees,” he said. “And so we don’t make decisions based on what returns us the most dollar. We make the best decisions based on what our employees need, what our cattle need, what we need for tomorrow, what we need to be able to stay in business for next week, what my kids are going to need when they decide to take over the family business.”
His milk goes to Gossner Foods in part for cheese and some goes to Danone’s North American plant in West Jordan for its production of yogurt products. The Wallaby yogurt is used in the parfait in as many as 3,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country.
Danone prides itself on using the most locally produced, freshest milk for its products.
A quick search on the internet reveals an 88-page document from the state stipulating the rules for Hancock’s operation.
“We don’t discharge manure. We don’t discharge water just to because that’s the cheapest, easiest option. We do what we do because we want to be good stewards, and we recognize that good stewardship leads to success for tomorrow for us, for our employees, for animal health, for our farm, for our kids.”
Hancock, frankly, focuses on what goes in and what comes out. Diet is everything for his cows and the more efficient that diet is the healthier the animal and the better the production. It truly is a science and it has to be for his 3,000 heifers, 3,200 milk cows and the 400 dry cows .
Good soil means good health for his animals. He tells the tale that if a flock of seagulls is following behind the tractor, it means the science has been working. An earthworm is a tell-tale sign of soil that is in good shape.
Methane is a very potent component of greenhouse gas emissions overall, but it does dissipate in about 10 years. But agriculture plays a role in those “carbon” sinks in which is more carbon dioxide is absorbed than what is released.
Oceans and forests, for example, act as superpowers in the fight against the release of carbon dioxide.
An European study found that sustainable farming practices have the potential to reduce by more than 55% of the climate migration potential, such as the use of cover crops and reduced tillage.
In Hancock’s case, he is turning 90% of the manure on his NooSun ranch into compost to reduce carbon emissions and help to eliminate the need for costly fertilizer. So, what comes out the back end of an animal is actually helping the soil to grow the feed they depend on.
Is their pressure to follow Denmark’s lead?
The agriculture industry is increasingly in the crosshairs over a number of issues — the push to move to plant based alternatives for meat and, oh, the endless array of alternative dairy products. Soy milk, oat milk, almond milk and on.
“It does seem that there are those in the United States who want to follow everything that’s going on in Europe. And so it would probably would be wise for us to not ignore what’s going on in Europe,” said David Secrist, the beef specialist for Utah State University.
“I think anybody who likes to eat should be a fan of agriculture. And so I find this is kind of an interesting topic because we’re producing food for a world that has a need for meat for food, and so it feels strange to be under the gun at this time as this as an issue.”
Secrist has a long time history in cattle ranching and has a doctorate in cattle nutrition.
He said over the years, the industry has become much more efficient, in astounding numbers — long before the word “sustainability” came along. It’s just a matter of improvement.
Due to those nutrition advances, since 1961, the amount of carbon dioxide produced per pound of beef has been reduced by nearly 43%. And the amount of beef produced per unit (cattle) has been increased by 74%.
“That is just utilization of technology, applying science to food production, learning better management practices. And really, agriculture has been trying to be more and more efficient. Well before we had, you know, well before we talked about sustainability it was all about improvement. It has to be.”