Gassy cows: a problem you never knew you had

When you think of greenhouse gases, it's easy to imagine idling cars, oil tankers or Dickens-style smokestacks. But you really should be including cows in that lineup.

Because of their complex digestive systems, burping cows are a huge source of methane, which is 25 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

According to a report from the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University, cows release between 132 and 264 gallons of gas a day, which adds up when you consider that the University of Missouri estimates that there are about 89.8 millions cattle and calves in the US alone.

In fact, the EPA estimates that about a quarter of the country’s total methane emissions come from cows and other gassy animals. 

A number of different companies have stepped up to try and curb methane emissions. There are “cow backpacks,” comically large bags that contain gases emitted through a cow’s mouth or intestinal tract through a tube in the cow’s skin.

Farmers can put their cattle on certain diets that can reduce the production of methane. They can engage in selective husbandry. Some scientists have even proposed genetic engineering. But one Dutch company is going back to the source.

The life and materials science giant DSM is behind the “Clean Cow” project, which has created a powder that supposedly reduces methane emissions by more than 30 percent when added to cow feed. So what’s the catch?

Well, maybe nothing. A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says the supplement has no negative effects, and in fact helps increase body weight.

The study was partially supported by DSM.

Some researchers are still recommending caution, especially because the long-term effects of the supplement are unclear.

“It would be important to extend the study to beyond the 12 weeks of the study, say over a full season or even through multiple seasons to fully assess impact on animals first of all as well as on products quantity and quality,” Francesco Tubiello, an expert with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, told the Washington Post in an email.

The company hopes to push out the supplement into the market by 2018. So until then, expect cows to be as gassy as ever.