United Kingdom farmers are being forced to reduce their carbon footprint by giving ‘methane suppressants’ to their dairy cows to make them burp less..The cows will eat ‘compound feeds’ with seaweed and essential oils additives to reduce digestion gas..It is part of the UK government’s Net Zero Growth Plan, as the High Court told the government that their climate plans to reach net zero by 2050 lacked enough details..The UK’s commitment to the Global Methane Pledge requires a 20% emission reduction by 2030 and the cow supplements could be started as “soon as practically possible” or “at pace” from 2025..Farm animals produce approximately 14% of carbon emissions worldwide..The plan will add around 33p ($0.55 CAD) a year to the average cost of milk for consumers, but the government could subsidize the new feed..Dustin Benton, a former government advisor on food strategy, told the Daily Telegraph that the feed could be used on sheep too..“Most dairy cows are milked twice a day, and when they're going to be milked, they usually eat, so that's a pretty good way of getting it into them,” said Benton..Benton said that further action would be required to reduce the environmental impact of animals..The gas suppressants include seaweed, organic acids, probiotics, antimicrobials, and essential oils, to reduce methane gas during digestion.
