Ireland looks to seaweed to curb methane from cows

Seaweed in animal feed can cut methane output Scientists are searching Ireland's west coast for seaweed to feed to cattle and sheep after research showed it could stop them breathing out so much climate-warming methane, reported Reuters. The project, coordinated by a state agriculture body, is tapping into the country's growing seaweed harvesting industry, which is seeking new markets as it revives centuries-old traditions. But some are skeptical that the seaweed feed additives could sidestep the need to reverse a surge in Irish cattle numbers if the country is to reduce Europe's largest per capita methane output by 2030. Around 20 species of seaweed, most from Ireland's Atlantic coast, have been tested by researchers. Dozens more have been collected by the project's partners in Norway, Canada, Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom. Scientists in the United States and Australia have already demonstrated dramatic methane-reducing qualities from one seaweed type, Asparagopsis, when ...