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Tesco trials methane mitigation supplement for dairy cattle

Tesco is trialing a methane-reducing feed supplement for one of its key UK dairy farms, sustainable UK milk producer Grosvenor Farms.

The retailer is aiming to tackle the problem of methane from cattle burps and manure, which is a big contributor to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to Tesco, methane is responsible for 14% of human-induced climate emissions, spelling a problem for the dairy industry overcome to remain sustainable and continue to thrive. 

Grosvenor Farms is part of the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group (TSDG) and is adding the methane-reducing supplement to the feed of a 400-count herd of dairy cattle to assess the difference it makes to the methane emissions.

A supplement to help tackle dairy cattle methane emissions

Cattle digestion of a high fibre feed results in methane as a byproduct. To tackle the problem, Tesco has decided to test out the supplement in the feed of the Grosvenor Farms herd. The supplement works by suppressing the enzyme that combines with hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases in the cow’s rumen, so less methane gas is generated.

Born from a collaboration between Elanco Animal Health and dsm-firmenich, it is said that a quarter of a teaspoon of the supplement helps to reduce emissions in dairy cattle by up to 30%, and as much as 45% in beef cattle. 

Natalie Smith, head of sustainable agriculture and fisheries at Tesco, said: “We’ve been carrying out innovative trials like this for a number of years now, so I’m delighted we’re going to be partnering with Grosvenor Farms on a project that could have such a significant effect on emissions reduction in our supply chain.”

The supplement serves to reduce the carbon emissions of cattle

Tesco estimates that the inclusion of the supplement in the Grosvenor Farm herd could lead to an overall reduction in farm greenhouse gas emissions of up to 12%. This should translate into reducing the carbon footprint of each cow by approximately 1.3 tonnes of CO2 annually, it said.

“We already have one of the lowest carbon footprints for milk production in the UK and we are very pleased to be working with our partner Tesco to trial innovative technologies like this feed additive in order to develop a lower-carbon milk supply chain and in doing so support our ambition to be a carbon net zero milk producer by 2030,” said Mark Roach, managing director of Grosvenor Farms.

Tesco says that if the four-month trial is successful, it aims to scale up the use of the supplement across TSDG to reduce emissions across all of its dairy suppliers and create a more sustainable food system.

United Nations report stresses the importance of mitigating carbon emissions

Tesco’s initiative is responding to growing pressure to mitigate carbon emissions caused by the agricultural industry. Last year, the Farm and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published a report that focused on providing solutions to methane emissions in livestock and rice systems.

The report highlights how a climate change crisis, mixed with a growing world population that needs to be fed (the global population is forecast to reach 9.7 billion by 2050), is putting significant pressure on the agricultural industry to expand production while also trying to ensure that carbon emissions are managed at sustainable levels.

In tackling this challenge, the report highlights the importance of global greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, stressing how emissions from livestock are at the top of the list because they account for roughly 32% of anthropogenic methane emissions.

The report highlights how climate change is already putting a huge strain on the production capacity of the global agricultural industry, stressing the importance of mitigating agricultural carbon emissions if production is to be expanded in the future to meet rising demand.