Cattle farmers say calls to reduce cow numbers would mean more imported meat. France needs to have fewer cows to meet its climate change commitments, says the Cour des Comptes - the independent court responsible for auditing public finances. The French government recently presented a plan to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It includes a target reduction of 50 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Included in this plan is a target to reduce emissions from agriculture by almost 20 percent over the same period - but there are no details yet on how France will do this. Why does France need to reduce the number of cows? Livestock farms in France with 17 million cows are thought to generate almost half of all agricultural emissions. In total, they make up 12 percent of France's total emissions. In its decision, the court wrote that "the state of livestock farming is not conducive to the climate" and added that despite other efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, such as carbon fixation in the soil, total emissions remain very high. (Rosie Frost, euronews.green)

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