The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says that methane emissions are one of the main causes of climate change. One of the main sources of these emissions is agriculture, and about 32% of them come from sewage and waste. (livestock burps). The UK has thought of a clever way to try to cut down on these emissions.
At the end of March, the UK government released “Powering Up Britain: the Net Zero Growth Plan for 2023.” The report said that in 2025, “high-efficacy methane-suppressing products,” or Beano for farm animals, will be available. The government will look into whether or not the products can be used on cattle farms. If the methane suppressants are shown to be safe, they could also be required to be in food and other products.
The idea is that if they can stop animals from letting out gas, they can reduce the amount of methane that gets into the environment.
Ministers are set to force farmers to give dairy cows 'methane suppressants' to reduce their carbon footprint by making them burp less under government plans to reach Net Zero.#CostOfNetZero
— Net Zero Watch (@NetZeroWatch) April 3, 2023
👉 https://t.co/iPHUWU5p8R pic.twitter.com/Yze2b5XiGo
Tom Bradshaw, the vice president of the National Farmers’ Union, told The Guardian that most of the methane is coming from cows’ burps, not from their rears. He went on to say that there is evidence that the products could help reduce some emissions, but that there isn’t enough information to know what effect they will have on how well the diet works.
No one was sure that the plan would work. Vicki Hird, an expert on farming, said that the government loves “techno fixes” like the gas blockers. They might work a little bit, but the bigger problem, the country’s “huge livestock fixation,” won’t be fixed. She said that the real answer was to make less meat and eat less of it.
The Daily Mail said that the methane suppressants had ingredients like organic acids, essential oils, seaweed, probiotics, and other things that cut down on the gas made by digestion.
