New Zealand to tax burps and flatulence from farm animals in world-first climate change measure

Burps and flatulence will soon become an expensive part of farm life in New Zealand under a new greenhouse gas emissions tax that will apply to livestock. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the government’s plans on October 11, 2022, saying that the levies will be imposed as early as 2025. Rates are still being discussed, but the taxes are expected to apply to emissions such as methane from passed gas or nitrous oxide in animal urine.