The Connexion – France
By Hannah Thompson
May 24, 2023
France must reduce its number of cows to meet its climate change commitments, the Cour des comptes has said in a new report.
The country’s 17 million cows make up 11.8% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the court said. France is the largest producer of beef in Europe and the bloc’s second-largest dairy producer (second only to Germany).
In 2020, there were 91,123 farms or producers specialising in cow-origin products, including dairy and meat, occupying 32.7% of the farming area in the country, the court said, pointing out that with €4.3bn of aid each year, the industry is the most-subsidised farming sector in France.