New Trial In Great Britain to Cut Methane from Cattle
One hundred United Kingdom dairy farmers are testing a scheme that has reduced methane from cows in the US by an average of 12%.
If the same results are repeated here, a 12% methane reduction from dairy cows would be equivalent to 660,000 fewer tonnes of CO entering the atmosphere each year -- or taking nearly 200,000 cars off the road.
The new technology analyzes milk samples to see how efficiently cows are converting their food into milk, allowing adjustments to their diets and the use of food which produces less methane.
The sector's levy organisation DairyCo said farmers may also be able to use the technology, which is being introduced to the UK by a feed manufacturer, to adjust the levels of saturated fat and omega 3 in the milk. Dairy Co's Amanda Ball said: "Dairy farms are responsible for less than 2% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.
"Cows emit methane gas as part of the natural digestive process but it's great that forward-thinking farmers are embracing new technology to find ways of reducing emissions."
Milk is tested for quality before it is processed and farmers taking part in the pilot project, called Visiolac, will have the extra tests carried out.
They will get a colour-coded report which shows the levels of methane, saturated fat and omega 3 generated.
Wyn Morris, head of ruminant development at BOCM PAULS, which has brought the system to the UK, said: "We can't talk to cows, and they can't talk to us, but through their milk we now know exactly what they need to eat in order for them to have a nutritionallybalanced diet with the minimal amount of methane emitted.
"The scheme has the potential to add tremendous value to farmers, cows and the environment."
Alan Winstanley, who looks after nearly 400 dairy cows at Highfields Farm in Audlem near Crewe, has been using the system since March 2011.
He said: "It is great news that the dietary changes we make can have a positive effect on the environment. Since we started using the system we've have seen marked improvements in the health of our cows and an increase in milk production."
The UK National Inventory for Agriculture shows methane from the digestive systems of dairy cows is responsible for less than 1% of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions and dairyfarms cause less than 2% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. Transport is responsible for a quarter of national emissions.
The latest progress report on The Dairy Roadmap, showed 40% of farmers have adopted new technologies such as wind turbines and heat exchangers to reduce their energy use.
