A two-year large-scale trial in beef cattle in Alberta, Canada has successfully demonstrated that a feed ingredient, developed by Royal DSM, can reduce methane emissions up to 80 percent without adverse effects on animal health and performance parameters and carcass characteristics.
Royal DSM, a Dutch nutrition company, developed the additive called Bovaer, which has been shown to cut overall methane emissions by 30 percent. The project was conducted by a Canadian Research Consortium and supported by the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association, with over 15,000 cattle tested.
Results showed an average of 70 percent enteric methane emission reduction was found when the feed ingredient was provided in steam-flaked or dry-rolled barley finishing diets. In steam-flaked corn-based finishing diets, a reduction in the range of 31-80 percent occurred, and in backgrounding diets, methane was reduced by 17-26 percent.
