A new agreement on CO2 taxes in agriculture has sparked mixed reactions. Agriculture & Food Express satisfaction with the agreement, while the Danish Society for Nature Conservation (Danmarks Naturfredningsforening) calls it a difficult compromise.
According to Agriculture & Food, farmers can completely avoid the CO2 tax if they implement “relevant climate measures” on their farms. The organization has advocated for a model that makes this possible, and they have succeeded in implementing such a model.
Chairman Søren Søndergaard stated that the idea of a CO2 tax was not originally their proposal. However, they are pleased that farmers who use approved and economically sustainable climate solutions can completely avoid the tax. “This is unquestionably the most important thing,” says Søndergaard.
The agreement means that agriculture will have to pay 300 kroner per ton of CO2 from 2030, a rate that will increase to 750 kroner per ton in 2035. However, there is a basic deduction of 60 percent, effectively reducing the tax to 120 kroner per ton of CO2 in 2030 and 300 kroner in 2035.
The Danish Society for Nature Conservation also acknowledges the structure of the tax but sees it as a compromise. President Maria Reumert Gjerding stated that the association’s main focus has been the long-term transition of agriculture and a plan for targeted land takeouts. “Overall, we have succeeded, but I admit that the tax is far from our starting point and therefore a difficult compromise,” says Gjerding.