Farm lobby picks up efforts to oppose regulation of cattle emissions

November 27, 2008


The American farm lobby is picking up its efforts to oppose an anticipated proposal to impose an emissions tax on livestock.  Farmers worry that an emissions tax, which could be $175 per cow and $87.50 per head of beef cattle, would be too burdensome for the industry.

Yet, it is clear that livestock are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, both directly, and indirectly:

It’s estimated that a single cow can belch out anywhere from 25 to 130 gallons of methane a day.

It isn’t just the gas they pass that makes livestock troublesome. A report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization identified livestock as one of the two or three top contributors to the world’s most serious environmental problems, including water pollution and species loss. In terms of climate change, livestock are a threat not only because of the gases coming from their stomachs and manure but because of deforestation, as land is cleared to make way for pastures, and the amount of energy needed to produce the crops that feed the animals.

All told, livestock are responsible for 18% of greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide, according to the U.N. - more than all the planes, trains and automobiles on the planet. And it’s going to get a lot worse. As living standards rise in the developing world, so does its fondness for meat and dairy. Annual per-capita meat consumption in developing countries doubled from 31 pounds in 1980 to 62 pounds in 2002, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, which expects global meat production to more than double by 2050. That means the environmental damage of ranching would have to be cut in half just to keep emissions at their current, dangerous level.

While we are sympathetic to independent farmers who may have slim margins, this is a major problem that needs to be addressed.  However, any policy must be comprehensive and well thought-out.  We need to ensure that increased domestic fees don’t just drive cattle production to foreign countries that don’t have an emissions fee.  Hopefully some of these international trade concerns will be addressed at the Poznan conference next month.  Additionally, the livestock industry should not be singled out.  Any emissions scheme needs to be applied across the board to all major emitters, including energy generation and transportation.

More information about livestock emission can also be found on the EPA’s website.

Photo credit.

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