Enhancing Animal Health to Lower Emissions
Healthy animals are more productive and have longer lifespans, contributing to farm efficiency and profitability. Importantly, good husbandry practices also benefit the environment. The FAO suggested in 2013 that livestock emissions could be reduced by up to 30% through optimal health and management practices. In Scotland, addressing illnesses in cows and sheep significantly reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with effective management of conditions like Neosporosis in beef cattle potentially cutting emissions by 4.5%.
Optimising Nutrition to Reduce Emissions
Nutrition is key in minimising farm animal emissions. Proper nutrition enhances animals’ immune systems and productivity, meeting demand with fewer animals and therefore reducing GHG emissions. Adjusting feed composition can also lessen methane and nitrogen emissions. Studies have demonstrated that certain lipids in cow feed, such as tallow and sunflower oil, can decrease methane emissions, with whole sunflower seeds reducing it by 33%.
Innovative Products to Cut Methane Emissions
Developments in methane reduction focus on the digestion process in ruminants. Inhibitors like 3-NOP can suppress enzymes responsible for methane production, cutting emissions by up to 30%. Vaccines targeting methanogens—the bacteria responsible for methane creation—are being developed to neutralise them, allowing for excretion without gas production. This approach combines technological innovation with robust animal health and management for sustainable livestock farming.
Tree Planting as a Farming Ally
Trees are integral to effective farming, offering myriad environmental and livestock welfare benefits. They provide essential shelter and shade, reducing heat stress and exposure for animals, which can impact milk production, reproduction rates, and overall health. Studies, like Pritchard et al. (2021), have noted that sheep with access to more shelter experience fewer lambing complications.
Trees contribute to pasture growth by moderating air temperatures and wind speeds, potentially increasing average annual pasture by 20%. Their presence helps manage water on farms by enhancing soil infiltration and water retention, reducing flood risks, and improving field drainage. By reducing water runoff, trees also help combat environmental challenges like soil moisture retention, thereby reducing the risks of liver fluke and lameness in livestock. Tree belts can prevent potential pollutants from contaminating soil, further promoting the well-being of farm animals and ecosystems.
Tree planting between crops