Livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions with cattle making up the majority of this at 65 percent. If all 1.5 billion cows in the world ate a new special feed, it would reduce methane emissions by the equivalent of removing 330 million cars from the road. The current total number of cars in the EU is 240 million.
So, that would be a very big deal. The revolutionary feed supplement is called Mootral Ruminant and reduces methane released by cows by up to 38 percent. Dubbed as the ‘Tesla of cows’ the product could be a game changer for the agriculture industry. Of course, such a significant reduction in methane - which is 84 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide - would be a huge step towards achieving climate targets.
Mootral, the company behind the product, has a clever plan to be able to provide its food supplements to cattle owners everywhere, free of charge. Mootral plans to use the reduction of cow burps as a carbon emission offset which it can sell to others.
Mootral’s founder and CEO Thomas Hafner is hoping to finance making the feed available around the world at no cost to farmers by selling ‘CowCredits’ to companies seeking to off-set their emissions. The credits will also be available as part of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.
”We’re very excited to launch Mootral carbon credits on the market: they offer superb value to buyers, make a real difference to emissions, and help sustain our ancient farming communities and traditions,” says Hafner.
One CowCredit equals a reduction of one tonne of CO2 equivalent and is unique on the market in being the only carbon offset which uses cattle farming.
Mootral Ruminate is currently used at commercial dairy farms in the UK that supply high-end coffee chains and has pilots taking place in Europe and the US this year. Hafner says, “Cows play an important role in our ecosystem, improving soil quality and supporting carbon sequestration, as well as providing a great source of nutrition. It’s time for us to help them become part of the solution in the global fight against climate change."