The recent Ruminant Methane Mitigation conference held by the British Society of Animal Science (BCAS) in Belfast, delivered new insights into the challenges that lie ahead for the dairy and livestock sectors in terms of emissions.
Here comes the exciting part – it is far from bad news for the farmers involved.
Recent years have seen vast sums of money, resources and intellectual capital directed at the challenge of reducing enteric methane levels within agriculture.
And, yes, our scientists are making tremendous strides in this regard.
More importantly, it is also obvious that farmers can make tremendous strides in breaking through the methane ‘glass ceiling’ by using current technologies. And it’s all about driving efficiency.
E.g., UK studies have confirmed that reducing the average age at slaughter from the current figure of 28 months to one below 20 months could halve total emission values for the UK’s entire beef sector.
The ‘encouragement’ to make this happen could come through a combination of government policy changes and commercial signals.
However, it is generally accepted that current farm management practices can be easily amended to make all of this happen.
Dairy and emissions
Where dairy is concerned, the future is sexed semen even within production systems that are highly seasonal in nature.
The technology is now proven on heifers and cows. Its use will act to increase the rate of genomic change immensely while also delivering more scope for dairy farmers to use high quality beef sires within their herds.
Genomic assessment of dairy sires is also working on the genetic improvement achieved within the milk sector.
There are two key factors that will drive environmental and production change within the ruminant sectors. Improving the genetic standards within both industries is one; the other is improving farm management standards.
The over-arching goal is that of improving farm efficiency levels as this is the factor that directly impacts emission levels.
It is a proportionate relationship – all improvements in farm efficiency levels will act to drive down greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels accordingly.
Mitigating methods
Current research into methane abatement measures can be broken down into the three categories: The development of feed additives; the creation of new vaccines; and improvements in animal breeding.
What is now clear is the reality that the development of a feed additive will provide ruminant agriculture with a ‘silver bullet’ solution to the challenge of climate change.
Over the coming years, we are looking at a combination of new thinking being brought to bear on the subject.
One of the key issues addressed at the workshop related to the complexity of the rumen biome. And it is this factor, more than any other, that has determined the pace of research-related progress up to this point – specifically where the development of feed additives is concerned.
Numerous examples of this specific factor coming into play were discussed at the workshop. E.g., potential additives that worked well in laboratory conditions failed to work at all when studied ‘in vivo’.
Despite these ‘setbacks’, a number of potential feed additives have been identified. However, there is one specific challenge where their use in Ireland is concerned – they work well under feedlot conditions but not at pasture.
Up to now the methane mitigating substances identified have only a relatively short activity period, a couple of hours at most.
Such limitations do not represent a challenge within feedlot beef or housed dairy production scenarios. Feed is available on a 24:7 basis to animals maintained within these management systems.
But where animals at grass are concerned, longer acting substances will be required in tandem with application systems that also meet this need.
A specific Teagasc research programme is actively addressing both these issues at the present time.
It is also clear that the current crop of ‘promising’ feed additives does not bring any improvements in feed efficiency or any other performance-related gain to the table. They simply act to reduce enteric methane emissions.
However, there remains an expectation that substances identified down the track may be able to deliver both a reduced methanogenisis and improved animal performance outcomes.
Other emissions
All the speakers made it clear that enteric methane reduction is not the only show in town, where climate change mitigation is concerned.
All new technologies must act to bring about a net reduction in all GHG inventories; simply reducing methane while increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) or nitrous oxide (N20) production levels at the same time is not an option.
Getting consumer approval for all new feed additives and vaccines that are specifically developed to allow farmers tackle climate change will prove to be a lengthy and problematic progress.
E.g., it has taken DSM well over a decade to get the one feed additive now registered for use in the European Union and Northern Ireland – Bovaer – over the line.
It also turns out that even natural compounds known to have a direct impact on enteric methane levels come with a problem or two.
However, this is a known carcinogen. Admittedly, the chemical breaks down to less toxic metabolites immediately on entering the rumen.
But, still, would licensing authorities agree to green light a product of this nature? Time will tell.
The other problem with natural substances is that they tend to be bulky materials. So transporting them around the world in their ‘original form’ would prove expensive.
The challenge then becomes one of ‘distilling’ the active ingredients out from the parent materials.
Climate change
The issue of addressing the challenges of climate change and future food security in an holistic manner was also discussed at the BSAS workshop.
Current predictions put the future demand for dairy and beef products to grow by 60% and 30% over the coming years. These trends are already apparent in countries like China.
Recognition was also given to the tremendous advantage enjoyed across the entire island of Ireland where beef and milk can be produced from grazed grass.
The need to retain Ireland’s ability in exporting dairy and redmeat products around the world was noted.
The logic here is quite straightforward – if Ireland stops supplying the world with high quality protein, other countries with much less efficient production systems, will. The downside implications for climate change within this scenario are obvious.
There was a general expectation among the speakers taking part in the BSAS workshop that significant reductions in methane emissions can be achieved without cutting cattle numbers.
There was also a recognition that ruminant-related output will have to increase on a global basis if the projected demand increased for beef and dairy products are to be met.
Work within the dairy sector is already confirming that current milk production levels can be achieved from a lower cow population.
And, where beef is concerned, it is a case of getting cattle through the production system that much faster.
But at the end of the day, it all comes down to the figures. E.g., work carried out at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) is suggesting that a 15% reduction in methane reduction levels would allow the dairy and beef sectors in Northern Ireland meet their net zero targets in one fell swoop.
However, this comes with a number of caveats. One is the fact that the impact would be short lived – no more than 20 years.
But it would give the farming industry and the world of science some head room as they strive to come up with long-term climate action solutions.
