Cows are reportedly collapsing and in some cases being euthanized in Denmark following the implementation of a climate policy aimed at reducing a cow’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Danish media report.
The Nordic country promoted policies financing large dairy farms to adopt synthetic additives to feed after Jan. 1 2025 to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, according to Agriland. However, farmers are reportedly voicing concerns now that their cows have started giving less milk, collapsing and in some instances getting so ill that they need to be euthanized, according to the Danish media outlet Jyllands-Posten.
“We have so many people who call us and are unhappy about what is happening in their herds,” Kjartan Poulsen, chairman of the National Association of Danish Dairy Producers, told the publication.
Denmark has aggressive climate goals that include reaching “climate neutrality” by 2050 and lowering emissions by 70% by 2030 as compared with 1990 levels.
The cow feed policy is a part of Denmark’s emissions-reductions goals, and reportedly one additive that is mixed in with cow feed called Bovaer may be the cause of the cows’ health decline, according to Jyllands-Posten.
Bovaer is a “synthetic organic compound that can be added to cattle feed in order to reduce the methane they produce and expel,” according to UC Davis.
Cow burps emit more methane than cow flatulence, according to NASA.
“Contrary to common belief, it’s actually cow belching caused by a process called enteric fermentation that contributes to methane emissions,” NASA’s website states. “Enteric fermentation is the digestive process in which sugars are broken down into simpler molecules for absorption into the bloodstream. This process also produces methane as a by-product.”
Notably, early drafts of the Green New Deal expressed concerns over cow farts.
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