New Zealand (NZ) has put an end to its plan to tax livestock “emissions” in the form of cow farts and burps, thanks to the new coalition government in Wellington.

The government ended this absurd plan to supposedly address “climate change” on June 11. According to Reuters, the move to scrap the proposed tax on methane produced by sheep and cattle followed outcry from farmers who claimed that it would make their business unprofitable.

In a statement, the conservative coalition government said it would establish a Pastoral Sector Group with representatives from the agricultural sector to find other ways to reduce biogenic methane. Terms of reference for the group need to be developed and agreed upon, Reuters noted. NZ Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said: “It’s time for a fresh start on how we engage farmers and processors to work on biogenic methane.”

“New Zealand, home to five million people, has about 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep,” according to Reuters. “Nearly half [of] its total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane.”

The previous government under former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had introduced a plan to charge farmers for their gas emissions starting 2025. Moreover, Wellington had been planning on including agriculture in the emissions trading scheme as part of its commitment to stop “global warming.”

However, the plan was unpopular in many parts of the rural sector. The coalition government promised to end this green tyranny if elected, a promise it fulfilled with the move to ban methane taxes.

Writing for Watts Up With That, Eric Worrall pointed out that “any relief from the madness of the Jacinda Ardern years is probably a welcome change for ordinary New Zealanders.” He added that any doubts he has with the current coalition government were superseded by doubts from Ardern’s Labor government.

NZ’s new government overturning GREEN TYRANNY in Wellington

The new coalition government in New Zealand is made up of the New Zealand National Party, ACT New Zealand Party and the New Zealand First Party. Aside from scrapping the plan to tax animal farts and burps, the coalition government has also lifted a ban on oil and gas drilling that has compromised the nation’s energy security.

NZ Resources Minister Shane Jones announced the ban’s lifting, adding that the country’s coalition government is preparing to invite energy companies to resume exploration in the three major offshore fields that supply most of its gas. The decision comes after Transpower, the firm operating New Zealand’s national grid, was forced to warn families to limit their electricity usage to avoid a shutdown during a cold snap.

According to Jones, the ban’s overturn would deal with the energy security challenges posed by Wellington’s rapidly declining natural gas reserves.

“Natural gas is critical to keeping our lights on and our economy running, especially during peak electricity demand and when generation dips because of more intermittent sources like wind, solar and [hydropower],” he explained.

“When the exploration ban was introduced by the previous government in 2018, it not only halted the exploration needed to identify new [energy] sources, but it also shrank investment in further development of our known gas fields which sustain our current levels of use. Without this investment, we are now in a situation where our annual natural gas production is expected to peak this year and undergo a sustained decline – meaning we have a security of supply issue barreling toward us.”

Lawmaker Simon Court of the ACT Party also lauded the reversal of the oil drilling ban. According to him, the prohibition on oil and gas drilling announced by Ardern “wasn’t environmental policy” but “a publicity stunt.”