British cows could be given ‘methane blockers’ to cut climate emissions
Cows in the UK could be given “methane blockers” to reduce their emissions of the greenhouse gas as part of plans to achieve the country’s climate goals.
Farmers welcomed the proposal, which follows a consultation that began in August on how new types of animal feed product can reduce digestive emissions from the animals.
However, green campaigners were sceptical, arguing that the move would not address the other major environmental harms resulting from the beef and dairy industries and showed a fixation on “techno fixes” rather than reducing consumption.
Methane from cattle burps and manure is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions; cows and other farm animals are responsible for about 14% of human-induced climate emissions. There are about 9.4m cows and calves in the UK.
The government said in its net zero growth strategy published last week that it expected “high-efficacy methane-suppressing products” to enter the market from 2025 and could force farmers to use them if they prove effective.
It said: “We … will explore the role of industry and government to maximise uptake of such products for suitable cattle farm systems at pace, through a phased approach.
“This will include the ambition to mandate the introduction of products with proven safety and efficacy in compound feeds for cattle as soon as practically possible in England.”
Tom Bradshaw, deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said most of the methane emitted by cows is released by belching, “the front end rather than the back end”. “The evidence suggests these products could be useful,” he said. “I don’t think we know enough yet about the impact they will have on the efficiency of the diet … but it’s something that we have to investigate to
Read more on theguardian.com
