Strategies to reduce methane emissions from farmed ruminants grazing on pasture

Buddle, Bryce M.; Michel, Denis; Attwood, Graeme T.; Altermann, Eric; Janssen, Peter H.; Ronimus, Ron S.; Pinares-Patiño, C. S.; Muetzel, S.; Wedlock, D. Neil

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.02.019

Cited by 144 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Farm management and early-stage test results of technologies being developed to reduce emissions of enteric methane have been extensively evaluated (McAllister and Newbold 2008;Buddle et al 2011;Eckard et al 2010). In the context of human food security, the most relevant measure is 'emissions intensity' (emissions/unit product), with the objective being to produce food with the lowest greenhouse gas footprint achievable while giving consideration to other environmental impacts.…”

Section: Enteric Methanementioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock production in a changing climate: adaptation and mitigation research in Australia

Charmley²,

et al. 2012

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Abstract.Climate change presents a range of challenges for animal agriculture in Australia. Livestock production will be affected by changes in temperature and water availability through impacts on pasture and forage crop quantity and quality, feed-grain production and price, and disease and pest distributions. This paper provides an overview of these impacts and the broader effects on landscape functionality, with a focus on recent research on effects of increasing temperature, changing rainfall patterns, and increased climate variability on animal health, growth, and reproduction, including through heat stress, and potential adaptation strategies. The rate of adoption of adaptation strategies by livestock producers will depend on perceptions of the uncertainty in projected climate and regional-scale impacts and associated risk. However, management changes adopted by farmers in parts of Australia during recent extended drought and associated heatwaves, trends consistent with long-term predicted climate patterns, provide some insights into the capacity for practical adaptation strategies.Animal production systems will also be significantly affected by climate change policy and national targets to address greenhouse gas emissions, since livestock are estimated to contribute~10% of Australia's total emissions and 8-11% of global emissions, with additional farm emissions associated with activities such as feed production. More than two-thirds of emissions are attributed to ruminant animals. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities facing livestock industries in Australia in adapting to and mitigating climate change. It examines the research needed to better define practical options to reduce the emissions intensity of livestock products, enhance adaptation opportunities, and support the continued contribution of animal agriculture to Australia's economy, environment, and regional communities.

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Section: Enteric Methanementioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock production in a changing climate: adaptation and mitigation research in Australia

Charmley²,

et al. 2012

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“…Eckard et al 2010;Martin et al 2010;Buddle et al 2011;Cottle et al 2011;Doreau et al 2011;Grainger and Beauchemin 2011;Henry et al 2012;Meale et al 2012;Clark 2013;Hristov et al 2013;Montes et al 2013;Knapp et al 2014;Kumar et al 2014;Pacheco et al 2014). These reviews on methane mitigation have been global in scope and have focussed on methanemitigation research conducted during the past 10 years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing the carbon footprint of Australian milk production by mitigation of enteric methane emissions

Moate¹,

Deighton²,

Williams³

et al. 2016

Anim. Prod. Sci.

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Abstract. This review examines research aimed at reducing enteric methane emissions from the Australian dairy industry. Calorimeter measurements of 220 forage-fed cows indicate an average methane yield of 21.1 g methane (CH 4 )/kg dry matter intake. Adoption of this empirical methane yield, rather than the equation currently used in the Australian greenhouse gas inventory, would reduce the methane emissions attributed to the Australian dairy industry by~10%. Research also indicates that dietary lipid supplements and feeding high amounts of wheat substantially reduce methane emissions. It is estimated that, in 1980, the Australian dairy industry produced~185 000 t of enteric methane and total enteric methane intensity was 33.6 g CH 4 /kg milk. In 2010, the estimated production of enteric methane was 182 000 t, but total enteric methane intensity had declined~40% to 19.9 g CH 4 /kg milk. This remarkable decline in methane intensity and the resultant improvement in the carbon footprint of Australian milk production was mainly achieved by increased per-cow milk yield, brought about by the on-farm adoption of research findings related to the feeding and breeding of dairy cows. Options currently available to further reduce the carbon footprint of Australian milk production include the feeding of lipid-rich supplements such as cottonseed, brewers grains, cold-pressed canola, hominy meal and grape marc, as well as feeding of higher rates of wheat. Future technologies for further reducing methane emissions include genetic selection of cows for improved feed conversion to milk or low methane intensity, vaccines to reduce ruminal methanogens and chemical inhibitors of methanogenesis.

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“…A range of different strategies are being investigated to reduce methane emissions from farmed ruminants (reviewed by Martin et al, 2010;Buddle et al, 2011;Clark, 2013). Vaccination of ruminants against rumen methanogens has the potential to reduce methane emissions by decreasing the number or activity of methanogens in the rumen.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress in the development of vaccines against rumen methanogens

Wedlock

Janssen

Leahy

et al. 2013

Animal

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Vaccination against rumen methanogens offers a practical approach to reduce methane emissions in livestock, particularly ruminants grazing on pasture. Although successful vaccination strategies have been reported for reducing the activity of the rumen-dwelling organism Streptococcus bovis in sheep and S. bovis and Lactobacillus spp. in cattle, earlier approaches using vaccines based on whole methanogen cells to reduce methane production in sheep have produced less promising results. An anti-methanogen vaccine will need to have broad specificity against methanogens commonly found in the rumen and induce antibody in saliva resulting in delivery of sufficiently high levels of antibodies to the rumen to reduce methanogen activity. Our approach has focussed on identifying surface and membrane-associated proteins that are conserved across a range of rumen methanogens. The identification of potential vaccine antigens has been assisted by recent advances in the knowledge of rumen methanogen genomes. Methanogen surface proteins have been shown to be immunogenic in ruminants and vaccination of sheep with these proteins induced specific antibody responses in saliva and rumen contents. Current studies are directed towards identifying key candidate antigens and investigating the level and types of salivary antibodies produced in sheep and cattle vaccinated with methanogen proteins, stability of antibodies in the rumen and their impact on rumen microbial populations. In addition, there is a need to identify adjuvants that stimulate high levels of salivary antibody and are suitable for formulating with protein antigens to produce a low-cost and effective vaccine.Keywords: vaccine, antigen, antibody, methane, methanogens, Methanobrevibacter ruminantium Implications A number of different mitigation strategies are being investigated for reducing methane emissions from livestock, including the development of vaccines that specifically target the methane-producing methanogens in the rumen. Previous studies on vaccinating ruminants against the rumen-dwelling organisms Streptococcus bovis and Lactobacillus spp. have demonstrated the feasibility of vaccinating animals to produce salivary antibodies that neutralise the activity of these microbes in the rumen (Shu et al., 1999(Shu et al., , 2000a(Shu et al., , 2000b(Shu et al., and 2001Gill et al., 2000). Owing to the complexity of the rumen microbiota and diversity of methanogens in the rumen, an effective vaccine for reducing methane emissions from ruminants will need to target a wide range of methanogens in the rumen among an even more diverse assemblage of bacteria, fungi and protozoa. This paper reviews the progress towards developing an anti-methanogen vaccine. IntroductionA range of different strategies are being investigated to reduce methane emissions from farmed ruminants (reviewed by Martin et al., 2010;Buddle et al., 2011;Clark, 2013). Vaccination of ruminants against rumen methanogens has the potential to reduce methane emissions by decreasing the number or activity of meth...

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Strategies to reduce methane emissions from farmed ruminants grazing on pasture

Cited by 144 publications

References 69 publications

Livestock production in a changing climate: adaptation and mitigation research in Australia

Livestock production in a changing climate: adaptation and mitigation research in Australia

Reducing the carbon footprint of Australian milk production by mitigation of enteric methane emissions

Progress in the development of vaccines against rumen methanogens

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