Enteric methane is a natural by-product of cattle digesting feed, which is then released from the mouth and nose. Using smart technology, the company developed a cattle wearable that neutralises part of this methane as it is exhaled. The company will be the exclusive distributor of the novel device for the European dairy market.
Delphine Melchior, sustainability and quality sector director for Cargill’s aqua and animal nutrition business, said, “Farmers and agribusiness are looking for ways to drive methane mitigation and change for our planet, while meeting the challenge of feeding a growing population. By partnering with Zelp, we are in a unique position to help significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock production.”
As much as 95% of an animal’s methane emissions come from its mouth and nostrils. The technology, which easily attaches to regular halters, captures and oxidises those emissions.
Francisco Norris, CEO and co-founder of ZELP, said, “We are combining data processing with unique catalytic technology to reduce methane emissions and improve animal welfare. We continue improving the efficiency of our technology, which has already demonstrated a 53 percent reduction potential. We’ve also evaluated the wearable’s effect on animal behavior and found no impact on production yields, rumination, rest and activity periods, and feed intake.”
Beyond its environmental benefits, the wearable device drives animal welfare by giving dairy farmers new insights into the health and performance of their livestock. The technology captures a range of behavioral and physiological data, in addition to monitoring animal’s breath and methane emissions. This data feature could allow farmers to increase productivity, help detect if an animal is overheating, anticipate diseases and prevent outbreaks, and provide deeper insights of digestion, feed optimisation, and feed conversion efficiency.
In the coming months, both companies will conduct additional testing at the Cargill Research and Development Center and at Wageningen University, one of the world’s leading universities in agriculture, environment and healthy food. Following their completion, the companies expect to launch the wearable in the second half of 2022.
Sander van Zijderveld, Cargill’s ruminant strategic marketing and technology lead in West-Europe, said, “Our collaboration with ZELP and the role of new technologies is part of a broader strategy to accelerate progress towards our sustainability commitments for customers and consumers. Zelp’s technology is the perfect complement to our extensive research and knowledge on reducing methane emissions.”
The company deploys a holistic approach to methane mitigation with a focus on three areas: best farm management practices, improved animal productivity through feed and nutrition, and additives. In North America, the company also launched its BefUp sustainability initiative which aims to achieve a 30% greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity reduction across its North American beef supply chain by 2030
