Wellington: New Zealand has unveiled a plan to tax sheep and cattle burps in order to deal with nation's one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases.
The plan would make New Zealand the first nation to charge its farmers for the methane emissions from the animals they keep, according to BBC's report on Thursday.
New Zealand is home to just over five million people, along with around 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep, BBC reported adding that almost half of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane.
Nation's Climate Change Minister James Shaw said, "There is no question that we need to cut the amount of methane we are putting into the atmosphere, and an effective emissions pricing system for agriculture will play a key part in how we achieve that."
The tax will be levied on farmers from 2025 under the new proposal. The plan also has incentives for them who will help reduce the emissions through feed additives, while planting trees on farms could be used to offset emissions, according to the report. (UNI)