The cattle feed additive is the first such methane limiter approved for use in Canada.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Image via Grigorenko/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo
Moo-ve over gassy feed, there’s a new additive in town.
Just approved for use in Canada, 3-Nitrooxypropanol, aka 3NOP, is a livestock ingredient that will reduce cattle methane emissions via burps and… you know.
With approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Bovaer product is said to neutralize methane in the rumen.
When microbes in the rumen break down the feed, hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases are released, which combine when there’s an enzyme present.
But Bovaer suppresses the enzyme, thereby reducing the amount of methane created. With less methane created, it also means fewer possible methane gases released by the cattle.
Dsm-Firmenich said that the product (produced by the same-named Bovaer) could be available for sale in Canada in a few weeks. Dsm-Firmenich has the right to sell the product in Canada.
Additional Canadian research into ingredient usage shows that cattle achieve a small increase in feed efficiency without any change in their growth rate.
Mark van Nieuwland, the Vice-President of Bovaer, stated: “This will benefit Canadian farmers, the efforts of the sector, and support Canada in delivering on its international emissions reduction commitments, such as the Global Methane Pledge.”
According to van Nieuwland, Canadian cattle feeders can reduce cow methane emissions by an average of 45 percent by using the ingredient. For dairy cows, the company said that the product additive can “reduce methane emissions by 30 percent on average, potentially lowering the overall greenhouse gas footprint per litre of milk by 10 to 15 percent.”