Can seaweed-eating sheep curb methane emissions?

An image showing a policeman checking the methane content of a sheep's breath using a breathalyser

Source: © Dan Bright

Seaweed may not be the silver bullet to farming’s methane problem

Methane emissions from livestock farming significantly contribute to the production of greenhouse gases. However, recent reports have revealed that some Scottish sheep may be nibbling on the answer to this problem. Researchers have discovered that adding some seaweed to livestock feed lowers the animals’ methane emissions. But concerns have been raised regarding the long-term viability of this option, so perhaps we can’t put all our eggs in one basket yet.

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