By Isaac Lamoureux
The federal government unveils a new climate policy incentivizing farmers to reduce how much their cows burp.
Revealed at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, the Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle protocol will encourage beef cattle farms to reduce methane emissions by improving animal diets to make the cows less gassy.
In 2021, agriculture was responsible for 31% of Canada’s total methane emissions, mostly from enteric fermentation produced by beef and dairy cattle, the federal government says. Methane is released into the air when cows burp.
If successful in reducing their cow burps, farmers will have an opportunity to generate credits that they can sell to other companies who need to reduce emissions but haven’t yet accomplished doing so.