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Technical guidelines to develop and implement methane-reducing feed additives for ruminants

Flagship Goal: To accelerate the development and use of feed additives to reduce global enteric methane emissions from livestock.

Methane emissions from ruminants have become a critical target in global efforts to combat climate change. Modifying rumen fermentation through feed additives has emerged as a promising strategy. Despite decades of research, only a few additives have shown substantial reductions in methane emissions or have reached the market. Recent assessments (Hegarty et al., 2021) reveal a limited availability of effective feed additives and highlight numerous challenges such as varying efficacy and applicability across different production systems.

The Feed Additives Flagship Project aims to aid scientists and industry leaders to develop effective feed additives to mitigate enteric methane. The Technical Guidelines to Develop and Implement Antimethanogenic Feed Additives have been prepared as a collection of 6 papers published as a Special Issue of the Journal of Dairy Science. Each paper focuses on providing technical recommendations for the development and implementation of antimethanogenic feed additives at different levels: i) identification of bioactive compounds (Durmic et al., 2025); ii) testing at animal level (Hristov et al., 2025); iii) model development (animal, farm; Dijkstra et al., 2025); iv) uncovering the mode of action (Belanche et al., 2025); v) registration and regulation (Tricarico et al., 2025); and vi) carbon accounting (del Prado et al., 2025). The preparation of the guidelines relied on the contribution of 60 researchers from 46 institutions across 23 countries, representing current consensus within a globally active network of scientists covering different expertise in investigating antimethanogenic feed additives.


FIND OUT THE DETAILS OF THE WEBINAR COMING THIS FEBRUARY 2025!

Aiming to cover different time zones, 2 webinars will be hosted:

  • Webinar 1: Monday February 24 – 23:00 UTC
  • Webinar 2: Wednesday February 26 – 15:00 UTC

Register now!


The Technical Guidelines detail the latest technical recommendations on the pipeline to develop and implement feed additives to mitigate enteric methane emissions from ruminants.


You can view the Journal of Dairy Science – Special Issue: Feed Additives for Methane Mitigation HERE or view the individual papers as shown below.


This paper outlines the initial steps in developing antimethanogenic feed additives, including finding, isolating, and testing compounds that can reduce methane production by rumen microbes. It provides guidelines for in vitro testing and discusses the advantages and limitations of various testing methods. Visit the paper here!

This paper emphasizes the importance of testing feed additives in live animals under conditions that mimic real farming practices. It provides guidelines for designing and analyzing experiments to evaluate the antimethanogenic and production effects of feed additives, stressing that efficacy claims should only be made after thorough testing. Visit the paper here!

This paper recommends modeling approaches to predict the impact of feed additives on methane emissions given the diversity situations. It discusses key considerations for data availability, model objectives, and the trade-offs associated with using different modeling techniques. Visit the paper here!

This paper provides guidelines for uncovering the biochemical and microbiological mechanisms by which feed additives reduce methane production. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing new additives, gaining regulatory approval, and ensuring social acceptance. Visit the paper here!

This paper discusses the regulatory requirements for feed additives in various jurisdictions, including safety, efficacy, and quality standards. It offers recommendations for scientists and applicants on meeting these requirements through transparent and validated research. Visit the paper here!

This paper explores current and innovative approaches to quantify the methane reduction potential of feed additives. It provides guidelines for accounting at different scales, from individual animals to global emissions, and emphasizes the importance of integrating these strategies into emissions trading and life cycle assessment frameworks. Visit the paper here!

Contact the Project Leaders for further information:

David R. Yáñez-Ruiz (CSIC, ES) [email protected] 

André Bannink (WUR, NL) [email protected]

Video and figures credits: Florencia Garcia and Yelena Grigorenko