Ireland wants to kill 200000 cows?! What did the cow do wrong again, in order to meet greenhouse emission reduction standards | Animals | Ireland
Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported on the 18th, citing an internal memorandum from the Irish Ministry of Agriculture, that Ireland is considering killing about 200000 cows in the next three years to meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction target.
Pat McCormack, Chairman of the Irish Dairy Suppliers Association, said that dairy farmers and government representatives plan to negotiate on this plan. The government should make special budget arrangements to ensure adequate funding, and this plan should be voluntarily participated in.
This is a photo taken on November 21, 2010 in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, of the European Union flag and the Irish flag on the rooftop of a government building. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zeng Yi
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A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Agriculture said that the government will provide economically attractive options for cattle farmers to voluntarily choose.
In Wicklow, Ireland, several cows bathe in the sunshine in the fields. Xinhua/Reuters
Animals such as cows and sheep produce a large amount of methane during the process of digesting food and excrete it from the body. Methane is an important greenhouse gas.
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According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the Irish Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that Ireland may not be able to meet its emission reduction targets, and the gap is large. Among these emission reduction targets, Ireland should reduce emissions in the agricultural sector by 4% to 20% by 2030.