21 Dec Mon 2009
Feeding Garlic to Cows Might Minimize Their Gas - and Greenhouse Emissions
Well, I thought I’d heard it all when it comes to fresh garlic.
Scrumptious flavoring component, immune system booster, vampire obstacle, infection fighter, cancer combatant, bad breath creator, cholesterol reducer, etc.
However, this one takes the cake – or the cud.
According to a Welsh company called Neem Biotech, feeding cows garlic might help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by minimizing the million pounds of methane emitted by cows “chewing the cud,” according to The Irish Times article, “Giving Cows Garlic Breath Could Save Planet By Reducing Methane Output.”
Hmmm….I continued reading.
Apparently, allicin, an active nutrient found in garlic, has the potential to minimize the amount of methane, or gas, generated by cattle when they consume grass and feed, by up to 50%, said Dr. David Williams, Neem’s chief executive and chairman, in the article.
About 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions are produced by cows, sheep and other ruminants, as each cow releases 480 litres of methane – considered more volatile than carbon dioxide – daily.
The product should be commercially introduced in one to two years, after on-site trials conducted by the department for environment, food and rural affairs are finished, the article stated.
Currently, Neem doesn’t plan to sell the feed additive to farmers, but, instead, would provide for free and then sell carbon-offset permits to large carbon emitters to generate revenue.
It will be interesting to see how this plan unfolds in the upcoming years. Could garlic be the answer to global-warming problems? Well, that sounds a bit drastic, but you never know…reducing cow gas sounds like a step in the right direction.
For many reasons.