WEIRD STUFF: Farmers to pay for their animal’s belches

Farmers to pay for their animal's belches

New Zealand is planning to tax the burps of cattle and sheep. The proposal would make the country the first in the world to charge farmers for the gases emitted from their livestock, and aims to tackle one of the nation's biggest sources of greenhouse gases.

New Zealand is home to around 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep, and nearly half of its total greenhouse gases come from farming, in the form of methane.

Under the new plans, farmers will have to pay for their animal's belches from 2025.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw said: "There is no question that we need to cut the amount of methane we are putting into the atmosphere, and an effective pricing system for agriculture will play a key part in how we achieve that."

The proposal includes incentives for farmers who are able to reduce the emissions from their animals, while revenue from the scheme will be invested in research and development services for the agricultural industry.

------------

Forgetful Brits!

A new study has revealed that absent-minded people from the UK forget 1,095 things a year, with the most common thing to slip the mind being birthdays or where the car has been parked.

Brits are also prone to forgetting why they have entered a room, what they are about to say, and the names of other people.

Some have blamed the lack of brain stimulation during the coronavirus lockdowns for bouts of amnesia, while others suggest that their forgetfulness can be blamed on stress.

Neuroscientist Professor Hana Burianova, from Bournemouth University, said: "Our brains overload when we have lots of different things going on, and this impacts our attention and memory.

"The brain is complex and intricately connected with the rest of the body, so incorporating brain-health habits as early as possible will impact on long-term brain health and improve memory and other cognitive processes."