The New Zealand government announced scrapping the ‘burp tax’ on livestock. It was a scheme to tax greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
- The burp tax was introduced in October 2022 under the leadership of then Prime Minister Jacinda Adern.
- The introduction of the burp tax sparked protests by farmers across the country.
- The primary aim of the scheme was to curtail methane emissions from ruminant species. These are hoofed grazing or browsing herbivores that chew cud.
- Ruminants such as cows, sheep, goats, and buffaloes have a special type of digestive system that allows them to break down and digest food that non-ruminant species would be unable to digest.
- Stomachs of ruminant animals have four compartments . On of those compartments is rumen which helps them to store partially digested food and let it ferment.
- This partially digested and fermented food is regurgitated by the animals who chew through it again and finish the digestive process.
- As grass and other vegetation ferments in the rumen, it generates methane, which is a potent greenhouse.
