Innovative additive to reduce methane in cows will help farmers
2023.01.08 10:16
Innovative additive to reduce methane in cows will help farmers
Budrigannews.com – Cattle farming, which employs more than 1.4 billion cows worldwide, contributes nearly 10% of all human-caused greenhouse gases.
The methane that cows produce accounts for a significant portion, but the makers of a new feed supplement claim that it has the potential to cut those emissions by an average of 30%. The reduction in emissions could be equivalent to removing over 300 million automobiles from Europe’s roads if all cows consumed the supplement.
The supplement, which is based on extracts of garlic and citrus, was developed by a Swiss-British startup called Mootral. When it is added to regular cattle feed, it reduces methane emissions by about one ton of carbon dioxide per cow per year.
The company is now converting these savings into carbon credits that are sold to businesses that want to offset their emissions. These carbon credits are approved by Verra, a global program for voluntary carbon offsets.
According to Thomas Hafner, CEO of Mootral, who speaks with CNN Business, the proceeds from the sale of the carbon credits go back to the farmers, lowering the initial cost of the feed and encouraging them to purchase more.
According to Hafner, carbon credits are an important tool for encouraging the use of climate-friendly technologies.
The first commercial farm to take advantage of Mootral’s carbon credit program is Brades Farm, which is located in Lancashire, in the northwest of England. The supplement is fed to its 440 dairy cows twice daily.
Methane, which is typically produced as a byproduct of digesting fibrous plant material such as grass, is prevented from being produced by the microbes in a cow’s stomach by the feed additives.
Joe Towers, who runs the farm with his brother Ed, says, “It’s difficult to make a living from dairy farming, there are bills to pay all the time.” The carbon credits are a genuine open door … to balance that expense for ranchers,” he says.
The farm stands to gain additional revenue from the feed supplement. The brothers have made a name for themselves by advertising their low-methane cows as premium milk for London coffee shops.
The so-called “CowCredits” of Mootral are not cheap. One credit offsets one ton of CO2 and went on the market in April for about $80 each.
Ecosystem Marketplace, a research company, found that forest offset programs, on average, cost $4 per ton of CO2. However, Hafner is of the opinion that there is a demand for credits that provide an “immediate verified reduction” in emissions as opposed to credits that promise savings in the future but may not actually deliver.
The demand for offsets is rising as businesses face increasing pressure to lessen their impact on the environment. The global voluntary offset market, according to Ecosystem Marketplace, was worth $320 million in 2019, which is more than double its value in 2018. By 2030, the private sector’s Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets projects that it could reach more than $50 billion.
Over 300 CowCredits have been generated by Mootral thus far. In order to expand the rollout, it plans to produce 10,000 units over the next year and is seeking $2.5 million from investors.
However, there are obstacles. The environment and breed of a cow determine how much methane is reduced by the feed supplement. Mootral has only carried out extensive testing on the two breeds thus far at Brades Farm, but Hafner claims that it intends to carry out additional research in various regions of the world.
The varying feeding regimens of dairy cows and beef cattle add another layer of complexity.
Despite this, Hafner is sure that Mootral will come up with a solution, and the business will soon begin testing at a ranch in Texas with 12,000 beef cattle.
According to Liam Sinclair, a professor of animal science at Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom, it will be necessary to keep an eye on how Mootral’s product develops over time because there is a possibility that changing a cow’s diet could affect how well it digests food, which could lead to a decrease in the cow’s growth rate or milk production.
He continues, “If there is to be a meaningful reduction in methane production, it is also very important that the product is available and cost-effective in developing countries.”
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