It may look cute, but cows have a serious flatulence problem that is destroying our planet.
Cows emit huge amounts of methane – a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more powerful than greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.
Now, scientists believe they may finally have an answer to this question.
Experts from the University of CaliforniaDavis, says that feeding sea cows can make them less likely to die.
In fact, this method can reduce a cow’s methane emissions by 40 percent, according to a new study.
Best of all, the group says seaweed would be easy for farmers to use – and won’t affect cow health or weight gain.
‘This method paves the way for making marine supplements more readily available to domestic animals,’ said Professor Ermias Kebreab, lead author of the study.
‘Herdsmen can also introduce weed through their cattle.’
Cows produce huge amounts of methane – a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more powerful than greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.
Experts from the University of California, Davis, say that feeding manatees can make them less vulnerable.
Previous studies have shown that livestock produce 14.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
And a large part of it comes from the methane that cows produce when they grow and bleat.
Feedlot cows (which are allowed to roam outdoors) also produce more methane than feedlot cows (which are raised in pastures) or dairy cows.
That’s because they eat a lot of fiber from grass.
‘Cows last only about three months on pasture and spend most of their lives grazing and producing methane,’ explained Professor Kebreab.
However, until now, researchers have only looked at how to feed seaweed to cows and dairy cows.
The new study is the first to test sea cows for beef consumption in the world.
During the 10-week experiment, the team traveled to a farm in Dillon, Montana, where they divided 24 cows into two groups.
One group received seaweed supplements, while the other did not.
A study showing that the cows ate the sea water, showed that the cows that ate the seaweed lost 40 percent of their weight compared to those that did not.
Based on their findings, the researchers want to introduce seaweed seeds to domestic cattle around the world.
“We need to make a seaweed supplement or any other supplement available to cattle to make cattle farming sustainable and meet the global demand for meat,” Professor Kenreab added.
