Strategies to Reduce Livestock Methane Emissions Summit- CDFA and UC Davis

Here are my takeaways from the summit.

Improved management of livestock to reduce #methaneemissions is our greatest opportunity to make a big difference in slowing global warming. In her opening address Secretary Karen Ross , CDFA also highlighted the need for more data to improve our understanding of livestock emissions and the global commitment to reducing methane with 108 countries signing up to the Global Methane Pledge at COP26 in Glasgow. The need for more data at large scale and at the farm level was also reiterated by Under Secretary Robert Bonnie, USDA.

Livestock enteric methane emissions are complex. “The rumen #microbiome is arguably the most complicated microbiome known to mankind.” Tim McAllister Methane is the result of excess hydrogen in the rumen and our fundamental understanding of this Hydrogen flow is missing. In addition, microbes adapt to additives designed to reduce emissions and emissions can significantly vary depending on the locations animals were born and first started grazing.

Juan Tricarico highlighted that breeding for lower emitting animals is a huge opportunity for a long term reduction in emissions. However, farmers need the tools to monitor their herd’s emissions.

On the positive side there is a growing understanding of the potential for real climate impact in addressing enteric methane. Dozens of potential feed additives have been evaluated for efficacy, dedicated and passionate industry/academic partnerships have been created to address methane, and carbon trading schemes are being established to incentivise farmers. Existing knowledge and practices can dramatically reduce methane intensity across the global south and Environmental Defense Fund and 联合国粮农组织 , and many others are working on implementation.

On the less positive side none of the feed additive solutions currently available will give us the needed impact. Funding for the much-needed technology to monitor emissions at a greater scale and to conduct the foundational research to understand the bio-kinetics of methane production are lagging well behind other technologies to limit global warming. Solutions to address emission from grazing animals remain elusive.

Building and maintaining trust is an issue that was constantly reiterated across the entire two days of the summit. Any potential solutions must put human and animal health and safety first and there is no room for compromise across farmers, consumers, and regulators. Carbon trading schemes remain a complex challenge with a significant strategic risk over crediting carbon and losing investor confidence and trust from the current model-based approach. ?

Implementation across all production systems remains a challenge. Research conducted by EDF highlights there is little appetite from farmers for incorporating new technologies and additives into the production system that do not prove a productivity benefit.

From my perspective there is a real opportunity to leverage recent advances in biomedical research to accelerate our understanding of the rumen microbiome, animal productivity, and methane emissions. I see the insight, learnings, and products that the omics technologies, rapid throughput screening, and next generation sequencing technologies I heard about at the recent Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. Ferment Conference in Boston as being invaluable. The largest hurdle is creating the business models, political will, and associated funding mechanisms to point these technologies at our food sustainability challenges including climate change.

A very special thanks to ?UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ?and?California Department of Food and Agriculture for hosting the summit.

Charles Brooke Frank Mitloehner Ermias Kebreab Aimable UWIZEYE, PhD Peri Rosenstein Peter Williams Luke Miller DVM Virginia Jameson Denise Mullinax Matthias Hess Joseph W. McFadden Kim Stackhouse-Lawson Leah Wilkinson Vrashabh Kapate Michael Boccadoro Jennifer Bockhahn David Isen Jed Asmus Toby Murdock Kari Klein Bart Tas Chris Kantrowitz Eric Jallas Josh Silverman Mr Ian Sawyer Dougal Gordon Serge Alain Wandji Natalie Curach Jesse Dill David Borhani Angela Carisa Ailloni Joe Proudman Agscent Andrea Bertaglio