The ruminant feed additive made by Agolin SA is "a blend of plant extracts" fed to cattle at a rate of 1g/day per adult animal, company spokesman Michael Roe told the Irish Farmers Journal. "It acts on the metabolic pathways of the rumen function so that less methane and more energy is produced," he added.

The Carbon Trust, a greenhouse gas reduction advisory company originally founded by the UK Government and now operating independently, issued the manufacturer with a certificate of achievement recognising that "Agolin Ruminant is capable of significantly reducing enteric methane emissions and improving feed efficiency in dairy and beef cattle, without affecting productivity."

Standards

While this does not mean the product has met the Carbon Trust's established standards, the certificate is a specific recognition that the feed additive reduces methane emissions by an average of 14.5% for each litre of milk or by 10% each day for a dairy or beef animal, Roe said. He added that this was to his knowledge the first independent certification of a methane-inhibiting feed additive in the world.

Agolin already supplies its additive to Dairygold and Glanbia in Ireland, with both co-ops using it in some of their feeds. Roe said the product has been found to work in different feeding systems and can be introduced through parlour feeding for milking cows out at grass. Early trials have also shown positive effects in sheep.

Reducing methane emissions from enteric fermentation in cattle and sheep's rumen is one of the avenues being explored to reduce agriculture's contribution to climate change. Researchers and companies around the world have been experimenting with fruit and veg and seaweed to achieve this objective.

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