WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) -- New Zealand farmers are being asked to cough up NZ$8.4 million ($4.9 million) a year to help reduce greenhouse effects caused by flatulence of their millions of sheep and cattle -- and they say the plan stinks.
Last year New Zealand signed the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and agreed to reduce production of greenhouse gases which are suspected of being a major cause of climate change.
Now the government plans to introduce a tax to help pay for research into livestock emissions of methane and nitrous oxide, which account for more than half of the country's greenhouse gases.
But farmers argue that reducing greenhouse gas emissions benefits everyone so all taxpayers should pay the freight.
On current livestock numbers of around 46 million sheep and nine million cows, the levy will cost farmers around nine cents a sheep a year, and around 72 cents per cow.
Deer and goats will also be taxed, but pigs and poultry -- paltry contributors to greenhouse emissions by comparison -- are exempted.
(I love this picture!)
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