There are reportedly about one billion cows in the world, and according to a study out of Washington State University and Colorado State University, each head of livestock can produce between 250 and 500 liters of methane per day.
Listen: farts and burps are never pretty, but cows have gotten a bad rap because their methane-rich gas has been shown to significantly contribute to climate change.
But don't worry, bovine friends, some scientists in Northern Ireland are doing their best to reduce methane emissions by adjusting what is put in cattle feed.
"Seaweed additives can reduce methane substantially in ruminants," Sharon Huws, professor of Animal Science and Microbiology at Queen's University, explained. "In particular, the red seaweed has been shown to reduce methane by 80 percent."
Seaweed has been tested to see if it can make a difference in the methane gas let out by ruminants, including cattle, sheep, deer, goats, and giraffes.
Huws says adding seaweed to animal feed can reduce the release of methane without reducing the size of the herds.
"What we are trying to get to by 2030 is to actually reduce methane by 30 percent from ruminants," she notes.
There are reportedly about one billion cows in the world. According to a study out of Washington State University and Colorado State University, each head of livestock can produce between 250 and 500 liters of methane per day.
Adding local seaweed to animal feed has already proved effective in Australia, where a 2020 study showed replacing three percent of a cow's diet with a native Australian seaweed decreased the methane produced by 80 percent.
Professor Huws says she believes the UK study will show at least a 30 percent reduction in methane, but is hoping to see more.
"We are in a climate emergency," she said. "There is no doubt about that. We have to solve climate change. We can not keep on going in the direction that we are going in."
