Feeding The Future : Cow Burps Will Be More Sustainable
We know that cow burps contribute to climate change, but what if I told you that they could become more environmentally friendly in the future? There are companies that claim their patented technology is scalable and cost-effective, helps reduce methane emissions from cows, and can be delivered to both housed and grazing cattle.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated that livestock’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions vary, ranging from 12%-20% of the global total — mostly in the form of methane from animals like cows and sheep, and carbon dioxide CO₂ released when forests are cut down for pasture. When narrowing down to livestock emissions, the source of green house gas is mainly due to a process called enteric fermentation. It is just a fancy way of saying the microbes in the digestive system break down what they eat and produce methane and over 90% of enteric methane is emitted through burping.
Mootral, a Swiss agriculture company, has developed a garlic and citric acid natural feed supplement to reduce methane emissions from cows aimed at reducing methane emissions from cows by 30%, a major source of greenhouse gases in agriculture. When I came across this information on the internet I was naturally intrigued to check what’s the product that they are selling. Their product, called Enterix™, is composed primarily of iodoform (CHI₃) and garlic extracts. These ingredients work together to significantly lower methane production in cows without negatively affecting their digestion or milk output. Iodoform, a key ingredient directly targets the methanogenic microbes in the cow’s stomach inhibiting the production of methane during the digestion process. Garlic extracts on the other hand improve overall fermentation in the rumen, which not only supports better digestion but also enhances nutrient absorption. This combination has been carefully formulated to ensure that cows can maintain their feed intake and milk production, making it a viable solution for dairy and beef farming industries. This technology is part of Mootral’s broader vision of making animal agriculture more climate-friendly, providing a potential solution to one of the agricultural sector’s biggest challenges reducing its contribution to global warming.
The company’s extensive research has shown that this reduces the methane emissions up to 38% in commercial farms. This is more or less equal to to 1000 kg of CO₂ per cow per year. According to the stats of 2022 by the US Department of Agriculture there are closer to 1.5 billion cows worldwide. Just Imagine if every single cow on earth takes this supplement.
I did the math!
Methane reduction per cow = 1000 kg of CO₂
Total number of cows worldwide = 1.5 billion = 1.5*10⁹
The total CO₂ reduction if all cows take the supplement would be =
1.5 *10⁹×10³ kg of CO₂ per cow=1.5 *10¹²kg of CO₂ which is 1.5 trillion kg of CO₂ or all the cows in the world.
Now to convert it into equivalent number of cars,
The average CO₂ emissions per car per year = 4600 kg.
The equivalent number of cars would be = 1.5 *10¹²kg of CO₂ * 4600 kg per car = roughly 326 million cars.
That means , if every cow takes this supplement then that would be equivalent to taking 326 million cars off the road. This is not the only “cow burp supplement” out there. A company called Blue Oceans Barnes uses Asparagopsis taxiformis, red seaweed. The active compounds in Asparagopsis taxiformis, primarily bromoform (CHBr₃), inhibit the biochemical pathway that is used in the rumen to form methane.By adding a small amount of the seaweed to the cow’s diet, the methanogens’ activity is reduced or even halted, meaning less methane is produced and expelled by the cow, usually through burping. Trials, including those conducted by the University of California, Davis, and other peer reviewed journal has shown that even a small amount of this seaweed supplement can cut methane emissions by 50–90% without affecting the animal’s health or milk production.
Honestly, I am just excited and glad that there are companies out there that are trying to move us in the right direction.
