A vaccine to reduce methane emissions from cows

Anicet Mbida 06:52, March 29, 2023

Today's innovation is a vaccine for cows. So, not a vaccine that protects them from a particular disease. A vaccine that reduces their methane emissions!

Burps and cow farts responsible for global warming. It has often been repeated: 40% of methane emissions come from livestock farming, especially ruminants!

We talk less about methane than CO2. Yet it is the second largest contributor to global warming. It even has a greenhouse effect almost 30 times greater than CO2. It is therefore critical to reduce its presence in the atmosphere. And we tell ourselves that with cows we have a great lever. That's why we are working on a whole series of strategies: change their diet, install a filter above their nostrils (a kind of mask). Some even try crosses to create "low emission" breeds. This is how we managed to create a breed of sheep that produces 10% less gas than average.

But the most promising solution is to develop a vaccine. It would directly attack the bacteria that produce the gas during digestion. This would make it possible to reduce very simply farts, burps and therefore methane emissions.

And there is already this vaccine?

Yes, there are even several, but only in the labs. Yet dozens of teams have been working on different vaccines for several years. But so far, nothing has come out. It must be said that it is complicated: the vaccine must remain effective for months or even years. It should not disturb the digestion of the animal. And it has to be cheap to have a massive impact.

But that's it! A first vaccine, which meets these criteria, is very close to marketing. That of the company ArkeaBio. He is only waiting for the approval of the health authorities.

Does it eliminate all methane emissions or only some of it?

Only one part: around 70%, according to their tests. Which would be huge.

It should be remembered that livestock emits more greenhouse gases than transport. Vaccinating cows would be like putting a tablet in the tank of current cars. And reduce, at once, their emissions by 70%... You can imagine what is at stake. It is colossal.