Green Feed Emissions Monitoring machines at the University of New England’s Tullimba feedlot.
THE Enteric Fermentation R&D Accelerator this week published its Accelerator Research Strategy, marking a significant milestone in the fight to tackle livestock methane emissions.
The Accelerator was launched at COP28 in Dubai last year by the Global Methane Hub in partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund, Gerstner Philanthropies, High Tide Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Danone, and several other private and public partners.
The fund is leading research in developing a vaccine for methane.
About 40pc of global methane emissions come from agriculture, with 70pc of this stemming from methane produced during livestock digestion – so called enteric fermentation.
Methane is incredibly potent – 86 times more than carbon dioxide – which means curbing pollution from all sectors, including agriculture, can help stave off catastrophic changes to the climate.
The newly published research strategy outlines the current state of knowledge regarding mitigation of enteric methane, and elaborates the priority research questions which need to be addressed in order to accelerate progress towards the development of solutions relevant to the diversity of ruminant livestock systems found around the world.
The strategy is a product of the Accelerator’s Science Oversight Committee, a group of experts formed to provide rigorous and independent advice regarding the highest priority research areas to be addressed by the initiative.
“This research strategy is the culmination of months of work, assessing the peer reviewed literature, engaging with the international research community through scientific conferences, convening deep-dives on specific topics, and drawing on the collective expertise and years of experience – literally entire careers – of our Committee members”, said Hayden Montgomery, program director-agriculture at Global Methane Hub.
“We’re already advancing on some of the priority research areas identified in the strategy, including funding the development of low-cost measurement, microbiome characterization, low methane genetics, and vaccines. With the strategy now published we’ll be redoubling our efforts to advance on other critical areas and we hope that the strategy will also help guide the research investments of others wishing to contribute to this effort,” he added.
Working with funders across the philanthropic, public and private sectors, the Accelerator’s strategy helps ensure organizations are working toward a common goal and not unnecessarily duplicating efforts.
The Accelerator’s Research Strategy identifies several key research areas that hold the greatest potential to accelerate progress in methane mitigation:
- Inhibitors: Adding a biological agent or chemical compounds to the animal diet that suppress methanogenesis
- Genetics: Breeding programs to develop low-emitting animals
- Measurement Tools: Developing cost-effective and accurate tools that measure animal methane emissions
- Vaccines: Prompting the animal immune system to produce antibodies that suppress methanogenesis
- Anti-methanogenic Feedstuffs: Forages and feeds that contain compounds that reduce methane production
- Rumen Microbiome: Exploring the microbes and processes that occur within the rumen ecosystem
- Physiology and Behavior: Understanding the influences of animal behavior and physiology on the rumen microbial ecosystem
“The Accelerator’s research strategy will address key knowledge gaps in each of the identified focus areas. As new scientific information emerges, additional research areas will be incorporated in the research strategy, ensuring it remains up-to-date and responsive to the latest developments, to ultimately, develop cost-effective mitigation solutions to directly decrease livestock methane emissions,” Montgomery continued.
You can view the full Enteric Fermentation Research & Development Accelerator Research Strategy here.
Source: Global Methane Hub