2024-09-30 04:10:00
The amount of methane that cattle emit varies greatly from cow to cow and from bull to bull. And the predisposition for high or low emissions is largely hereditary. This makes it possible to specifically select for emissions when breeding cows. By choosing semen from a low-emission breeding bull, dairy farmers could gradually reduce their farm’s methane emissions.
This follows from years of research by Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The study is currently in a final phase; the conclusion is that methane emissions from cow burps and farts can be reduced by 15 to 30 percent by 2050.
Methane is a strong greenhouse gas and forms after CO2 the main source of climate warming. The results are so promising that methane emissions can be considered an option when selecting a breeding bull from next year.
Farmers’ organization LTO Netherlands is enthusiastic. “Breeding is always a long-term business. But certainly in the long term, this is a great way to reduce emissions,” says chairman Erwin Wunnekink of the LTO dairy farming group. However, there is also criticism from animal welfare organizations. “We are going to tinker with the animal again in this way. That is not in the interest of the cow,” says Marjolein de Rooij of the Animal Trade Union.
Research on 10,000 cows
For the study, emissions from approximately 10,000 cows were repeatedly measured during milking. This is done via a sniffer, a box that is connected to an air filter with a tube. This filter catches the breath of one individual cow when she enters the milking robot. That information is linked to the animal’s pedigree data. In this way, the researchers identified the hereditary differences between cows.
“The spread appears to be large,” says Anouk van Breukelen, who will receive her PhD for the research in a few weeks. Cows emit on average about 400 to 500 grams of methane per day. But for more than 15 percent of the animals, emissions are below 300 grams and for an equally large group above 600 grams. By choosing bulls with lower emissions when breeding, methane emissions can be reduced.
In April 2025, methane emissions will be included for the first time in the list of ‘breeding values’ of the Cooperative Cattle Improvement (CRV). This is the organization that records and maintains hereditary characteristics of bulls. It contains many more characteristics on which farmers can tailor the choice of their bull semen. Milk production, but also fertility, health and longevity.
Less milk or not?
It is striking that emissions seem to stand alone as a hereditary trait. For example, low-emission cows are not necessarily lighter, healthier or easier to handle. “You might expect that very productive cows also emit more methane,” says WUR professor Roel Veerkamp. “But that connection turns out to be much less strong than we suspected.” A low-emission cow is therefore not necessarily a lighter cow that produces less milk.
At the same time, Veerkamp and Van Breukelen emphasize, methane emissions from cow breeding remain just one of many factors to take into account. Veerkamp: “In theory you can even achieve 42 percent fewer emissions. But then you select purely for methane when breeding. That is not realistic and also undesirable.”
A farmer always selects based on a combination of characteristics, says the WUR professor. “And that’s a good thing: until the 1990s, breeding was unilaterally focused on increasing production. Fortunately, there is now more attention to health and robustness: whether a cow can easily cope with changing circumstances, for example. Responsible breeding also means that we should not go too far by looking one-sidedly at one trait.”
Importance of the animal
A cow that emits less methane may suit people very well. “But being low in emissions is not at all in the interest of the animal,” says Marjolein de Rooij. As chairman and founder of the Animal Trade Union, she has been campaigning against these new developments in breeding for some time. She points out, among other things, the political intentions in the new Animals Act. “It states that we no longer adapt animals to the livestock farming system, but adapt the system to the animal.”
This involves, for example, dehorning cows and cutting off pig tails. Interventions that have been common for decades to prevent farm animals from injuring themselves or each other. While more space and distraction can also solve that problem. “With low-emission breeding you arrive at the same principle point,” says De Rooij. “We are going to tinker with the animal and manipulate its behavior in such a way that it suits us. While the solution to limit emissions is much simpler: keep fewer animals.”
De Rooij points out that cows have started to produce much more milk through breeding. “That then led to all kinds of health problems that we also try to overcome through breeding. Now we are going to breed low-emissions again without knowing what the long-term effects are. I think that’s a sliding scale.”
Don’t go too far with breeding
WUR researcher Roel Veerkamp acknowledges that the one-sided breeding of highly productive cows has led to problems in the past. “But we are decades further. We think it is important to select on numerous properties. If you start looking purely at emissions, there is a danger that you will no longer pay attention to the health of cows. That is why it remains important to always look at multiple properties.”
Erwin Wunnekink, chairman of the LTO dairy farming department, believes that low-emission breeding is an animal-friendly way to limit emissions from cows. “Another way to do this is, for example, through adjustments in the feed.” A well-known example is Bovaer, a type of nutritional supplement for cows from DSM that prevents methane formation. The powder can be added to the concentrate or roughage that cows receive in the stable.
“That could also be a solution. But it is less applicable if a cow simply spends a large part of the day in the meadow. And I think such a powder is a bigger intervention than breeding in a smart way. In this way we make use of natural variation and potential. We have been doing this for centuries with agricultural and companion animals.”
Opportunities through climate goals for farmers
The question remains whether farmers will actually opt for a low-emission cow. “It is of no use to a farmer in the current system,” Veerkamp acknowledges. However, there are plans to reward farmers more for environmentally friendly choices. The government wants to move towards a system of target management, in which farmers can choose how they meet environmental and climate goals.
Moreover, says Wunnekink, international targets have already been agreed to limit methane emissions. The Netherlands should reduce emissions by 30 percent between 2020 and 2030. “Breeding can contribute to this. Not from today to tomorrow, but if we start on time, we will see the effects in a few years.”
A nitrogen-poor cow, is that also possible?
Much more than methane emissions, nitrogen emissions from cows have dominated the debate in recent years. This raises the question of whether it is also possible to breed a nitrogen-poor cow.
Yes, think WUR researchers Roel Veerkamp and Anouk van Breukelen. Although that is more difficult than a low-methane cow, and it also takes a lot of time. “Methane was certainly an important theme worldwide,” Veerkamp reflects. “As a result, several major research projects were started around 2012. That is now leading to results.”
Much less research has been done into low-nitrogen breeding. “I expect the possibilities to be comparable. But we will have to explore that first.” Van Breukelen sees another caveat: nitrogen compounds that cause damage to nature are mainly formed when cow feces and urine come together. Better separation of manure is therefore faster and more effective than an extensive breeding process, she expects.
Also read:
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A powder in the feed can significantly reduce methane emissions from cows. Denmark and the US embrace the Dutch product, but it is less successful in the home country. How about that?
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