Methane emissions are a huge hindrance to the environment. Recently, a UK supermarket store vowed that all of the British farms that keep it running would be net-zero emissions in the next decade, it was no shock that it started with eggs. It was also no shocker that net-zero beef was a bit more detailed and harder to achieve in the long term, especially by 2030. That's where seaweed supplements come in.
Seaweed supplements have been considered as one of the potential solutions to this methane madness. The plants reduce methane emission and increase the rate at which the livestock turn their dinner into muscle mass. A study conducted by agricultural scientist Ermias Kebreab, director of the World Food Center, and PhD student Breanna Roque, showed that a low supplement provided to cows can decrease emissions by 69.8%.
"Next steps for the use of Asparagopsis as a feed-additive would be to develop aquaculture techniques in ocean and land-based systems globally, each addressing local challenges to produce a consistent and high-quality product," read the report from the World Food Center, "Processing techniques are evolving with the aim of stabilizing as feed supplement and the economics of the supply chain."
The world could be greener if the cows just ate a little greener too...