Scientists have launched a multi-million dollar project to reduce flatulence in cows, hoping that a drop in gas can help in the fight against global warming.
The project aims to breed more efficient cows that convert their food into more milk and less methane, one of the greenhouse gases blamed for rising temperatures across the planet.
“We’re looking at feed conversion efficiency,” said Dieter Adam, a manager at New Zealand’s Livestock Improvement Corporation. “We want fuel-efficient cows.”
In 2003, the New Zealand government attempted to impose a methane tax on farmers because their livestock was responsible for more than half the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
But the so-called “fart tax” was dropped after protests from farmers.
Are you surprised that a politician — anywhere — would try to tax farts?
lol, government
NZ is the only country who’s primary greenhouse gas is methane (Oh, to live in New Zealand, land of the flatulent cattle…). It would, um, behoove the farmers to capture the methane and sell it.
Seriously though, taxes are a GREAT incentive to get businesses, including farms, to change behavior. A rational tax policy would generate our taxes from non-renewables (fossil fuels, metals, etc) and not tax that which is benign (like cell phones, internet access, food). I’m disappointed that the NZ farmers won on this one, but the farmers always seem to win.
Government & taxes, a wide field full of monstrosities…
Smart idea, this fart tax, but how to meter farting?
Pioneers in this field are the ancient Romans with their tax on shit (pecunia non olet – money does not smell).
GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturer of Beano, stock rose today on word from the New Zealand goernment…
How come you never catch the stupid spelling mistakes before you hit the button
And the Waste from Cattle, cows??
In 1 county in Idaho, per year there is 22,000,000+ Tons…
converting this to Methane and hydrogen fuels for a power turbine would be cheap and Easy. But the Dairys ARNT doing it. It would save the Dairies ALOT of money just in power and lighting, and all the extra could be sold back into the Grid.
That is the ONLY good use I have seen for Cattle in ALONG time.
Maybe there’s a patent in this; strap an inflatable plastic bag to a cow, hook a hose to a really long tube with a flared end, then ram this thing as far as the cow will allow before she kicks, and when the bag inflates then “harvest” the gas, uh, somehow. I wouldn’t try this with a bull, as they get a bit skittish about the whole ramming thing.
tax cow farts, quick way to reduce the nations milk production…
Oh, I can see my patent!
Big ballon attached to a two-inch diameter tube that is inserted into a cow’s nether region. Moo-oh! The ballon is supported with a strap on the tail.
The farmer detaches the bag at milk time. The used bag is deflated using a vacuum hose, which collects both gas and solid waste for processing. The deflated bag is now ready to be reatttached to the cow.
Now if I can only figure a way to indemnify myself from smokers, electrified fences, and stupid teenagers.
This Global Warming hysteria is getting out of control… Thanks alot Al Bore…
Why does no one ever talk about taxing polititians for their hot air?
I haven’t read the article yet……I’m to busy laughing at the pic with that caption!!!!!
Whats funny, is that SOME of the BEST crops for making, and growing to use for Alcohol, are ILLEGAL..
Another “pass the buck” politician. Global warming is all the cows fault! It’s not our cars and factories and overpopulation causing the problem that we need so many cows…it’s the cows themselves. Solution: Change the entire digestive structure of the animals with chemicals so that it works differently. Is it not bad enough that we already feed these herbivores their own species ground up into their food to make them grow quicker which means we’ve not only turned them into carnivores but into canibals? Must they also bear the responsibility for our problems?
From what I understand, most of the methane that comes from cows is from their droppings, not from farts from the cow’s ass. Since the bacteria is still munching away and the undigested food still in the poop, and producing methane while it’s NOT in the cow.
Some farmers actually collect all that poop into a large air-tight plastic tent and let it “simmer” in the sun and collect the methane being made and pipe it away into storage tanks.
The problem isn’t about too many cow farts, but too much bullshit.
The problem isn’t about too many cow farts, but too much bullshit.
Solution: Get rid of the greatest producers…Politicians!
Seriously though folks, there is energy in them thar critters, well coming out of them!! Interestingly, the bulk of the methane from cows comes from the front end – belching as part of the ruminant digestive system.
Mind you, in the US that will be different because your feedlot animals have their ruminant system suppressed so that they can (unnaturally) be fed on corn, etc. Now that is an advantage of living in NZ – pure pastorally fed beef!
Having said that, the US feedlot systems do have an advantage in the bulk collection of the secondary output of cow waste (from the rear end), just a mwtter of dealing with the hormones and antibiotic residues in the waste material – Food for though (well maybe not!!)