Fart tax on Estonia’s cows

Farmers in Estonia are to be taxed for the greenhouse gases produced by their cows.

The new measures, dubbed the ‘fart tax’, mean that Estonian farmers will be penalised for the methane and carbon dioxide produced by their cattle.

An average cow produces 1,500 litres of carbon dioxide and 350 litres of methane every day from burping and flatulence.

Methane is over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. It is estimated that cows are responsible for up to 25% of the methane emissions in Estonia.

Opponents of the tax have pointed out that such a move is ‘unprecedented in any EU country.’