In an effort to curb carbon emissions from farms, Ireland is reportedly considering reducing the nation’s dairy cow population by 200,000 over the next three years.
If implemented, the nation’s Department of Agriculture plan would reduce the number of cows by 65,000 each year for three years as the country strives to meet net-zero carbon emission standards by 2025. The plan would be offered to aging farmers as a “retirement exit scheme,” according to Fox News.
“The journey to Net Zero emissions has begun,” the ominous 2021 press release by the Irish government reads, detailing the legal commitment the country made to reaching that goal. “Ireland is now on a legally binding path to net-Zero emissions no later than 2050, and to a 51% reduction in emissions by the end of this decade. The Act provides the framework for Ireland to meet its international and EU climate commitments and to become a leader in addressing climate change.”
The government’s 2023 Climate Action Plan also calls for “more climate-efficient use of fertiliser, improved animal feeding, improved animal breeding, bringing forward the finishing age of cattle, and increasing organic farming.”
According to Fox, “The Irish Department of Agriculture has since said reports were referring to a ‘modeling document’ included in a ‘deliberative process,’ but no final plans have been agreed upon.”
Ireland isn’t the only European country to target the agriculture industry in the name of climate change. Farmers in the Netherlands were told last year that they would need to implement a 30 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 or face the possibility of having their farms forcibly shut down by the government. This announcement sparked mass protests across the country.
According to Reuters, the European Commission authorized the Netherlands to spend “$1.61 billion to buy out livestock farmers to reduce nitrogen pollution.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture also allocated $2.8 billion on the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program which will primarily research what they call “climate-smart” agriculture techniques aimed at reducing emissions.
American climate fear-mongerer John Kerry warned that “the human race’s need to produce food to survive” is responsible for up to 33 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and that to reach net zero, agriculture would need to be addressed “front and center.” Climate alarmists frequently place humanity and nature at odds, and concern themselves with limiting human activity rather than prioritizing human advancement.
Kacy Atkinson, an agricultural advocate who raises cattle in New York state, said in an interview that “this conversation on emissions from the industry isn’t considering the beneficial impacts of cattle to the environment and the climate.” She explained that cattle are essential for the environment because they graze and fertilize the grasslands. “You need ruminant animals to forage grasses, because they’re the only things that can. Pigs, for example, are monogastric and can’t break down high fiber content in grasses. Cow’s digestive system can break the grasses down, and then they fertilize the ground.”
