Dutch research finds garlic in feed reduces methane emission

Dutch feed firm Provimi, Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands and the Finnish Alimetrics have teamed up to study the methane fighting properties of the garlic.

In the next two years, Provimi will research garlic in large groups of cows and test whether the garlic can reduce methane and be profitable for the farmer as well.

According to researcher Sander van Zijderveld, garlic influences the methane producing bacteria in the rumen. He says that garlic therefore has a positive effect on the energy balance in the animal, which is logical because when methane is released, energy is lost.

On average, a cow releases 400 grammes of methane per day. By using feed additives, this can be reduced by 15 percent.