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Dairy Campus starts research into the effect of methane inhibitors in rations

Gepubliceerd op
21 oktober 2019

At Dairy Campus in Leeuwarden, a trial will start in the autumn with the addition of a DSM methane inhibitor to the ration. The aim of this trial is to collect targeted information with Dutch rations in a practical setting that is in line with the methane emission method in the Thrift Pointer.

The research at Dairy Campus will start in early November and will run until February 2020. Cows will then be given a ration to which a methane inhibitor has been added. This methane inhibitor is added in different dosages to rations with different proportions of grass and maize silage. Sanne van Gastelen, Jan Dijkstra and André Bannink, researchers at Wageningen University & Research, are supervising the trial

Design of a test with a methane inhibitor


"With this trial we try to gain insight into the relationship between the different rations and the dosages of this methane inhibitor on the reduction of methane emissions," says Bannink.
"We add more than 1 gram per day of the methane inhibitor to a dairy cow's ration. This is roughly a quarter of a teaspoon. This can reduce methane emissions by 20 to 30 percent," explains Bannink. It has already been shown that the effect of the methane inhibitor is maintained during prolonged feeding.
DSM is taking the initiative to collect further supporting information under Dutch practical conditions, in preparation for introduction to the market and an application for inclusion in the Thrift Pointer. They will coordinate the initiative with a consortium consisting of other players in the Dutch dairy chain.

Expected results in 2020


The results are expected to become available in the course of 2020. These results can then be used for an application for inclusion of the methane inhibitor in the Thrift Pointer, and contribute to the development of new economic models. However, the expected knowledge gained is interesting for all dairy farmers in Europe and indicates the possibility of achieving a more CO2 neutral dairy production together with this methane inhibitor.