Global warming: Carrot, coriander extract to reduce cow burps
Farmers adopt new feed designed to reduce methane emissions
Looking to improve milk production, California farmer John Verwey turned to a Swiss-made feed additive designed to make a cow more efficient while reducing methane emissions from cattle burps.
The more a cow belches, the more it spends energy that could be used instead for milk production, Verwey reasoned.
So two years ago, he started feeding his cattle Agolin, made of coriander, clove and carrot extracts.
Verwey figures he has positioned himself for a world where consumers care more about greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
“Everyone should be trying their best to prevent pollution,” He said from Fresno, California. Major food companies are stepping into the space. Nestle SA and chocolate producer Barry Callebaut have partnered with start-up Agolin, while in July, Restaurant Brands International started serving burgers made from less gassy cattle at several US Burger King restaurants.
Their plans hinge on farmers and the companies that buy the meat and milk they produce adopting cattle feed additives that inhibit gas. It is a tiny market that developers say is poised for multibillion-dollar sales.
The shift comes as meat and dairy industries face competition from substitutes for their products due to the perception they are healthier and less damaging to the environment.
Livestock emit 14.5 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases. Nearly two-thirds of those emissions come from cattle, including through burps, flatulence and manure.
More milk, less gas
Ruminant animals like cattle produce methane as microbes ferment fibrous carbohydrates in their stomachs into digestible form.
Feeding Agolin to some of the cows in Nestle’s supply chain is one part of Nestle’s net zero carbon commitment, said Robert Erhard, head of dairy sourcing for the maker of KitKat chocolate bars and Coffeemate. Generating more milk per cow reduces the animal’s emissions on a per-litre basis, he said.