Cows join carbon market

A European startup has started selling carbon credits for cattle raised on a feed supplement that reduces the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gas they release.

Mootral, based in Switzerland and the UK, says its garlic-and-citrus feed can cut methane emissions from livestock by 30 per cent. Under its offset programme, a certified farmer producing milk using Mootral's supplement can sell credits equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide to those who want to offset pollution.

Livestock farming accounts for about 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely from cows, sheep and other ruminants that emit methane, a gas that's more than 80 times more potent than CO2.

Mootral is trying to change that with its offsets, called CowCredits. Buying from Mootral will help firms diversify their carbon solutions.