Dr. Karl Richards:

In our marginal abatement cost curve, there are two measures. The first relates to manure additives. Manure accounts for about 10% of our methane emissions. We know there are certain additives that would reduce those emissions by 50% or 60% and potentially up to 90% plus. Those concerned are close to commercial implementation. Included is one national company producing the additives.

Another aspect is feed additives. This area is subject to a huge amount of research. There is one feed additive already approved for use in dairy farming. The same feed additive, the 3-NOP product, is going through the EFSA approval process in respect of beef. These products are good to go. We know they work, particularly when animals are in the shed. During the dry-cow period, they would be very effective. Our research programme is focusing on how to develop them so they can be used within a grazing situation. There is less control over what the feed animals eat in a grass-based system, so getting an effective feed additive into them is more challenging in our grazing-based systems.

Those are two really practical solutions. In our marginal abatement cost curve, we project that the inclusion of both will reduce methane emissions by between 15% and 19% by 2030, and could reduce emissions by up to 47% by 2050. Those are really substantial reductions in methane.