Agriculture leaders wary of European-style regulations

AG industry being blamed for contributing to climate change

Cows graze on the Rock Hills Ranch in Lowry, South Dakota. Courtesy of Lyle Perman

As fears over climate change escalate, members of South Dakota’s agriculture industry are watching global developments with a guarded eye.

That’s because agriculture is increasingly being blamed by some for emissions of greenhouse gasses, including carbon, methane and nitrogen. And that has made the ag industry a target for climate change activists.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Europe. Various governments there have proposed drastic reductions in agriculture as ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They include possible cattle culls. In the Netherlands, government officials have tendered a policy to buyout up to 3,000 farms. The European Union approved the $1.6 billion plan in May.

Meanwhile, other countries are proposing bans or limitations on fertilizers.

None of this has gone unnoticed on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

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