Ireland to Cull 200k Cows for Climate Change
Bill Hahn
Article audio sponsored by The John Birch Society

A few weeks ago, we called attention to the latest European Union efforts to get 3,000 farms shutdown in the Netherlands in order to help meet the EU’s emission goals due to climate change alarmism. Now, the latest victim in this scheme is Ireland, which has proposed to kill 200,000 cows — again, because of an extremist agenda.

We’ll fill you in on the latest in this episode of Analysis Behind the News, and demonstrate how this is also starting to bleed over into America’s Heartland. If you’re concerned about American independence and freedom, then please watch and take the recommended actions. Also, be sure to share, like, and subscribe, so we can reach many others.

Earlier this week, The New American reported, “A plan under consideration by the Irish government calls for 200,000 cows to be culled over three years in a bid to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the agricultural sector to address so-called climate change. The Irish government estimates the plan would cost €600 million ($641 million) and would represent a substantial reduction of livestock on the Emerald Isle.

The €600 million would mainly go to reimburse farmers for the destruction of their cows. The Irish Ministry of Agriculture estimates that €5,000 per culled cow would be a fair compensation.”

While this scheme is still not final, last year, The Guardian said that a report indicated Ireland would need to cull up to 1.3 million cattle to reach climate targets.

This 1.3 million kill would represent about a 30% cut in carbon emissions from agriculture as the 1.3 million cows is about a 20% cut from the overall herd of 6.5 million.

The Guardian also reported, “’Farmers desperately hope that it doesn’t come to this [culling],’ said Phelim O’Neill, editor of the Irish Farmers Journal. ‘There is widespread acknowledgement that we need to reduce emissions’, he said but he had commissioned the report to put some facts back into the ‘heated debate’ that is giving famers ‘climate anxiety’ about their futures.

The debate has pitted Dublin versus rural Ireland, with farmers feeling they are being unfairly targeted without government assessments of the impact on their industry.”

Notice Mr. O’Neill’s comments about there being widespread acknowledgement of reducing emissions. This is exactly what we heard from many of the famers and their representatives in the Netherlands. Where is the opposition, the voice of reason that can bring clarity? It appears they have largely given up or conceded the fight. Yet, they stand to lose nearly everything due to the climate boogey man.

The ability of a country to govern itself should be jealously guarded. However, members of the European Union and by extension, the United Nations, are finding their sovereignty and independence either stripped from them or willingly given up for what is perceived as the greater good for the collective.

Instead of allowing unaccountable, regional and even international government to force this insanity on its members, countries must push back, declaring these radical policies null and void while standing on their sovereignty. As many are coming to realize, membership into these unions are entangling alliances that are turning out to be suicide pacts. They must drop their membership with the EU and the UN.

Governments must protect the God-given rights of the individual, allowing citizens to make their own decisions and take their own risks. Governments must be large enough to protect these rights, and small enough to not trample the ability of people to exercise these rights. Adding layers of government on top of this, as in the EU or the UN is not the answer and will throw off the precarious balance of government versus freedom.

The United Nations has been promoting less meat consumption and making the agricultural industry more “sustainable.” We’ve seen what this looks like and its devastating effects its had on the people of Sri Lanka, whose economy has collapsed, and it could not produce enough food to feed its own population. But, never the fear, another international governmental body is currently helping bail out the country. the International Monetary Fund is providing a $1.9 billion loan after the country defaulted on a $78 billion loan from China.

Earlier this week, the UN proposed that an oversight body be created to oversee the international financial architecture “to enhance its coherence and align priorities with the 2030 Agenda.”

Meaning, we can expect more layers of unaccountable bureaucracy that consistently push programs and policies designed to accomplish its sustainable development goals. The UN has admitted that these goals, as accomplished through its Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030 programs, “will require a profound reorientation of all human society, unlike anything the world has ever experienced — a major shift in the priorities of both governments and individuals and an unprecedented redeployment of human and financial resources. This shift will demand that a concern for the environmental consequences of every human action be integrated into individual and collective decision-making at every level.”

Does that sound like freedom or tyranny?

What this means for Americans is that these international policies with its extreme and radical climate change agenda items are being pushed into your local communities with the help of federal dollars and partnering NGOs.

Unfortunately, many elected officials do not know this and do not stand up against the climate change regime. This is why many Midwest farmers are facing property rights infringement for a pipeline that is being planned to carry liquified carbon, captured from 32 ethanol plants across five Midwestern states. Farmers and landowners unfortunate enough to have land within its path are receiving notices from these private pipeline companies threatening to seize their land through the state utility board. We’ve covered this before, mostly in Iowa, where John Birch Society members are working with farmers and affected landowners to protect property rights through their locally elected officials, as well as through the state legislature.

One of these pipeline companies has been recently accused of using intimidation tactics to force farmers in South Dakota to allow surveyors to have access to property. According to The New American, Summit Carbon Solutions was recently denied a restraining order against a farmer who allegedly threatened surveyors that had entered his property without him being there as they entered at least one of his buildings in search of him. Finding no one, they decided to stay on the property to conduct surveying.

The farmer arrived and asked them to leave and said that the sheriff would have to be there. According to the farmer, he never issued any threats. I applaud his restraint.

The New American spoke to a farmer who attended the court hearing and said that “the judge … refused to hear any evidence against Summit. … That ‘they appear to get away with their lies.’”

As The New American discussed on its New American TV, Summit has been buying 99-year land easements in North Dakota due to the planned construction of a carbon-capture pipeline, but because of its financial backing from China as an investor, some elected officials in the state are calling into question how this is allowed as foreign countries have been legally banned from buying land in North Dakota.

Yet, in South Dakota, The New American reported, “More than 80 landowners in South Dakota [are] facing eminent-domain lawsuits from Summit. In April, Fifth Circuit Judge Richard Sommers granted the company’s motion to conduct surveys of all land along their planned pipeline corridor — even private property. Taxpayers who originally declined to sign easement agreements are now forced to stand by as the company maps and drills on their land.”

A South Dakota farmer who testified last week gave additional details as to how helpless landowners truly are with the way state legislators have over the years legislated away property rights:

“Why do they have armed people standing in the middle of the road with guns so people can’t go on their own property? I served 32 years in foreign countries so that would not happen in America. I understand that when a car comes down the road, this bunch of mafia, or whatever they are, with guns, unsnap their guns and put their hands on their guns. This is America! That crap should not be happening here. It’s almost like we’re turning into a Communist country.”

He hit the nail on the head. Although it’s not almost. We’re certainly heading down that path.

How long will it be before the United States follows the climate lunacy of the Netherlands? Of Ireland? How far will this climate garbage be pushed? Will domestic airline flights be curtailed as they are now doing so in France with climate change as the excuse?

I have to ask, “How bad does it have to get before Americans act to protect property rights, especially in areas that favor these corporations over landowners?”

Remember that these pipelines are part of a larger agenda from the United Nations through Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030. To fight organization that has an agenda, you must fight back using organization with a counter agenda.

The John Birch Society has that agenda and can organize and work locally to help protect God-given rights. We’ll show you how.

Let’s work together to restore the American principles of freedom, liberty, and independence. As members of The John Birch Society have demonstrated time and time again since 1958, we don’t just talk about the problems, we work the solutions.

Visit our helpful tools and educational materials at our online Stop the War on Farmers action page.

I’m Bill Hahn for The John Birch Society, and until next time, learn more, take action, and get involved, patriots!