carbon tax for farmers

djmc

Just wondered if ye saw the news at one today part of the new carbon taxes
suggested taxing farmers for co2 emitted by cows
I think this is crazy a (cow fart tax):eek: what next
If this went ahead I think we should ask to get paid for co2 taken out of the atmosphere buy the plants and trees growing on our land

locky76

djmc wrote: »

Just wondered if ye saw the news at one today part of the new carbon taxes
suggested taxing farmers for co2 emitted by cows
I think this is crazy a (cow fart tax):eek: what next
If this went ahead I think we should ask to get paid for co2 taken out of the atmosphere buy the plants and trees growing on our land

this idea has been on the go for a while. cattle account for something like 45% of our carbon emmissions so i think a carbon tax on cattle is inevitable. it's going to be the opposite of headage payments.
i'm afraid the days of average cattle is nearing it's end.

Daithi BC

From the Taxation Commission report:

"If methane and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture become capable of being monitored, reported and verified with sufficient accuracy, their exclusion from the carbon tax should be reconsidered."

http://www.taxcommission.ie/downloads/Part%209.pdf

Doesn't exactly sound imminent - and not everything in the report is going to be implemented.

bbam

Daithi BC wrote: »

From the Taxation Commission report:

"If methane and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture become capable of being monitored, reported and verified with sufficient accuracy, their exclusion from the carbon tax should be reconsidered."

Ah yes... I can see the department men already

Sam Kade

locky76 wrote: »

this idea has been on the go for a while. cattle account for something like 45% of our carbon emmissions so i think a carbon tax on cattle is inevitable. it's going to be the opposite of headage payments.
i'm afraid the days of average cattle is nearing it's end.

Where did you get 45% from?

maidhc

locky76 wrote: »

this idea has been on the go for a while. cattle account for something like 45% of our carbon emmissions so i think a carbon tax on cattle is inevitable. it's going to be the opposite of headage payments.
i'm afraid the days of average cattle is nearing it's end.

Guess what:

Cattle eat grass.

Growing grass is a very potent carbon sink (i.e. it absorbs carbon). We could of course just burn the grass or let it rot, but then we would be emitting the carbon into the atmosphere anyway.

So if farmers are taxed for their cattle, they should be able to recoup it in credits for their grassland!

johngalway

Forget CAP, instead of that lark cap the cows arses, install a small tank held on by a saddle type arrangement to collect all the gas, milking optional, draining the gas essential unless ye want things going "BANG!" in the night :eek: Convert slurry tankers to Calor tankers and forget about the creamery too. The Russians and Arab Sheiks will be running for the hills when the Irish Gas fields open for business.

Telling ye, it's the way forward

bagaspuds

...I don't get this. If grass absorbs CO2 to grow. Cow eats grass and belches (not farts BTW). Is this not all Carbon Neutral?
This is of course if no artificial fertiliser is used.
What about humans expelling CO2....what next?:o

nilhg

CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas, methane (CH4) is given off in relatively high quantities by ruminants and is much more potent in the short term.

However it's all only recycled carbon from the atmosphere so I don't see where the problem arises.

irish_bob

bagaspuds wrote: »

...I don't get this. If grass absorbs CO2 to grow. Cow eats grass and belches (not farts BTW). Is this not all Carbon Neutral?
This is of course if no artificial fertiliser is used.
What about humans expelling CO2....what next?:o

i know a cow or two that can fart for ireland

vincenzolorenzo

nilhg wrote: »

CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas, methane (CH4) is given off in relatively high quantities by ruminants and is much more potent in the short term.

However it's all only recycled carbon from the atmosphere so I don't see where the problem arises.

Yep methane is much worse for global warming than CO2. The reason you don't hear as much about it is because there's way more CO2 being pumped out every day than CH4. CH4 isn't in the atmosphere to begin with so its not as simple as saying its recycled carbon. Another greenhouse gas is Nitrogen and its oxides. It mainly comes from engine exhaust gas but agriculture also creates some too. I'm not an expert but i think that every time ground is ploughed it releases nitrogen into the atmosphere, although how they actually measure this is beyond me!