Measurement of the methane of output of individual cattle when housed and grazed.

Dairy and beef cattle contribute approximately 7% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. To reach the UK governments target of net zero by 2050 this must be reduced. The main greenhouse gas produced by cattle is methane that is produced during the digestive process in the first stomach, or rumen of cattle and sheep, and then belched out. The capital equipment purchased in this bid will allow the output of exhaled gases such as methane to be accurately measured in the breath of cattle when housed or grazing pasture. This is important because current techniques are either very expensive, inaccurate, or do not allow methane to be measured when cows are grazing pasture or housed as a group. The equipment will be used to investigate dietary means to reduce methane production (e.g. the use of legumes forages such as clover, or oils), feed additives to reduce methane production (e.g. naturally occurring compounds such as saponins, tannins, essential oils, or synthetic compounds), grazing systems (e.g. mixed species swards), manipulation of the rumen microbiome to decrease the activity of methane producing bacteria, and evaluation of genetic differences in cattle to produce methane. The information will also be used to develop non-invasive methods to predict the methane output from cattle such as unique markers in milk.

Agriculture produces 10 to 11% of the UK's total greenhouse emissions (around 29.1 Mt CO2-eq), making it the fifth-largest sector for emissions. Within agriculture dairy and beef cattle are the largest contributors, with approximately 7% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. The main greenhouse gas released by cattle is methane that is naturally produced in the first stomach (or rumen) of cattle during the digestive process. Globally, ruminants account for approximately one-third of anthropogenic methane emissions. The UK has set a goal to reduce emissions from all sources by 15.5Mt CO2-eq per year between 2018 and 2050, with a target of net zero by 2050. Offset against this, milk and meat provide a highly nutritious source of protein, iron, B-vitamins and iodine that is difficult to obtain from other food sources. Livestock farming is also a way of producing human-edible food from human-inedible crop residues and waste from grazing lands. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 86% of livestock feed is inedible for humans. The BBSRC Strategic Delivery Plan (2022-2025) also recognizes that agricultural and food systems play a critical role in the biggest challenges facing humanity such as feeding a growing population providing livelihoods, protecting the environment, and addressing climate change.

The GreenFeed platform in this bid is required to accurately measure the methane output from cattle when housed or grazing. This is important as alternatives such as measurement in vitro does not always extrapolate to in vivo, or they do not allow measurements when grazing, or are very expensive. A GreenFeed platform will allow research to be conducted on methane mitigation strategies including the effect of diet, feed additives, alternatives forages and grazing systems, and to determine the interaction with the rumen microbiome and cow genetics, complimenting existing facilities and research programs.