livestock
Milk production tax used in study to cut livestock numbers
A tax on milk production and the use of negative subsidies to “engineer” a reduction in livestock numbers were among alternative scenarios modelled by the Climate Advisory Council in its carbon budget report submitted to Government last week.
The carbon budgets submitted by the Council are consistent with a 51pc reduction in greenhouse gases in 2030 relative to 2018 and, depending on the emissions cut allocated to agriculture, could have a significant impact on farm incomes and the rural economy.
In its technical report, the Council concluded that only relatively small reductions in agricultural GHG emissions can be achieved by currently proven technical mitigation and that a reduction in livestock numbers would be required to meet the core carbon budget scenarios it considered.