New Zealand: Is it possible to control methane emissions from cattle with vaccines?

A methane vaccine for cows being developed in New Zealand could be a major game changer for animal emissions worldwide, according to Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium Chair Professor Jeremy Hill. Hill, who is Fonterra's chief science and technology officer, said the methane vaccine he is working on aims to introduce antibodies into a cow's saliva that then pass into the animal's rumen, or stomach, and bind to the methanegens that convert hydrogen into methane, a potent greenhouse gas. "This would be the big step because, in theory, a vaccine could be implemented in any animal production system," Hill told reporters at Fonterra's research and development facility in Palmerston North earlier this month. "It would make a real game changer for the world." The world's agricultural food system produces between 20% and 30% of global emissions. New Zealand is responsible for around 0.16% of global emissions, half of which come from agriculture and a quarter from dairy. To help ...