Serious or spoof?

Excerpts from this article:

Britain's finest scientific minds have turned their attention to a problem that they claim is threatening the future of the entire planet - farm animal flatulence.
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The New Zealand government briefly considered taxing farmers on their herds' methane output but the proposal had to be dropped following opposition.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs considered introducing a system of tradable methane permits but the system was considered too complex.