Flatulence tax to be imposed on farmers (no kidding)!

PONTIAC, Illinois - February 17, 2009 - It seems flatulence may be a problem in the agriculture industry. It seems the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has come up with an idea on how to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act that could result in permitting taxes on livestock operations. Because of global warming, they want to make livestock producers pay a tax on their animals based on the amount of carbon dioxide their animals release into the air in the form of flatulence.

Last July, the EPA issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR), which is basically a notice to the public about new regulations it’s considering, which seeks comment on the possible impact of regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. The ANPR, released early this year, would give the EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse gas not only from manmade sources like transportation and industry, but also from stationary sources, which include livestock. If they should go through with the proposal, methane most likely will be regulated. Dairies and feedlots would be considered major sources of methane if they emit more than 100 tons of greenhouse gases per year.

The Farm Bureau calls it the “cow tax” and says farmers and ranchers can’t afford to pay it. The New York Farm Bureau assigned a price tag to the cost of greenhouse gas regulation by the EPA in a release last month. “The tax for dairy cows could be $175 per cow, and $87.50 per head of beef cattle. The tax on hogs would be upwards of $20 per hog,” the release said. “Any operation with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs would have to obtain permits.”

Even on a relatively small 200-cow dairy farm, the permit costs would add more than $30,000 to the farm’s annual cost of productions.

Just how many farm operations would this affect? Excluding only the 200,000 largest commercial farms in the U.S., our agricultural landscape is comprised of 1.9 million farms with an average value of production of $25,589 on 271 acres. These operations simply could not bear the regulatory compliance costs that would be involved.

Unlike other industries, farmers really can’t pass their cost along. Farmers are price takers, not price makers. Last year was an extremely difficult year for livestock producers. As many grain producers enjoyed seeing the price of grain skyrocket, those in the livestock industry, who rely on that same grain for feed, saw huge reductions in their profit margins.

Now I do realize that we need to be environmentally friendly and conscious of doing our best to keep our air clean. But if the United States starts taxing our livestock producers out of business, then other countries that do not have such strict regulations will pick up the slack. With increased imports of meat and dairy products, it could mean more risks for consumers. Currently farms in other countries aren’t regulated as stringently as farms in the U.S. The recent incidents of baby formula from China containing dangerous levels of melamine, and a salmonella outbreak resulting from contaminated jalapeno peppers from Mexico are causes for concern.

Furthermore, won’t the same number of animals in another country contribute equally to these greenhouse gas emissions?

I don’t know about you, but I do love a juicy grilled ribeye, and I would rather have it grown in the United States.

We hope our voices will be heard and livestock production is left out of the Clean Air Act. With unemployment on the rise, the national debt growing, and Amerikans struggling through current economic conditions, the last thing our federal government needs to be worried about is the amount of gas being produced by livestock.

Agriculture … can’t live without it.