Feed supplement may help tackle methane

Methane-producing cows are a topic of discussion around the world, with claims suggesting they produce 11% more of the gas than previously estimated.

There are around 1.5 billion cows on earth at any one time, grazing and subsequently chewing their cud where the process of methane production begins.

This number is estimated to rise to 2.5 billion cows by 2050.

Scientists say a cow can release up to 120kg of methane per year, which is classed as bad for the environment as it is more than 20 times more harmful than CO2.

With agriculture reported to be responsible for 18% of the total release of greenhouse gases, there is a drive to reduce the methane produced by cows, and one company seems to have a solution.

Scientists have developed a natural animal feed supplement made from fruit and vegetables that can cut methane emissions from ruminants and possibly reduce the use of antibiotics.

For the past number of years the additive, called Mootral, has been developed by UK researchers funded by Swiss-led life science group Zaluvida, in conjunction with leading European universities.

Scientists believe global methane emissions produced by livestock are higher than estimated hence the drive to find a solution to the problem.

Although there has been no scalable solution to reduce methane emissions from cows, the researchers claim Mootral can reduce them by at least 30%.

It uses natural ingredients such as organosulphurous compounds from garlic and natural plant flavonoids, including citric extracts, in lieu of synthetic products in feed, to improve rumen fermentation.

The supplement suppresses the methanogenic bacteria present in the rumen, while leaving bacteria that aids in digestion intact.

Mootral’s natural plant flavonoids are known to have antiinflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, which the company says could help reduce reliance on antibiotics.