By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Feeding cows seaweed could save the planet, according to a new study.
American researchers discovered that feeding kelp to grazing cattle cuts methane emissions by almost 40%.
They say their findings offer a solution for more climate-friendly farming as livestock account for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The largest portion comes from methane that cattle release when they break wind.
The new study, by researchers at the University of California, Davis, is the first to test seaweed on grazing beef cattle in the world.
The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showed that feeding grazing beef cattle a seaweed supplement in pellet form reduced their methane emissions by almost 40% without affecting their health or weight.
It follows previous studies that showed seaweed cut methane emissions by over 50% in dairy cows.
Study senior author Professor Ermias Kebreab said: “Beef cattle spend most of their lives grazing on pasture and producing methane.
“We need to make this seaweed additive or any feed additive more accessible to grazing cattle to make cattle farming more sustainable while meeting the global demand for meat.”
He said that daily feeding of pasture-based cattle is more difficult than dairy cows because they often graze far from ranches for long periods.
However, during the winter or when grass is scarce, ranchers often supplement their diet.
For the study, researchers divided 24 beef steers into two groups. One received the seaweed supplement, and the other group didn’t.
The research team conducted the 10-week experiment at a ranch in Dillon, Montana.
Since the animals in the study were grazing cattle, they ate the supplement voluntarily, which still resulted in a nearly 40% cut in emissions.
Most previous attempts to reduce methane emissions using feed additives have taken place in controlled environments with daily supplements.
But Kebreab noted in the study that fewer than half of those methods are effective for grazing cattle.
He added: “This method paves the way to make a seaweed supplement easily available to grazing animals.
“Ranchers could even introduce the seaweed through a lick block for their cattle.”
