NEWS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2024 97 Dairy professionals focus on 3 key mega challenges to solve Methane reducing interventions, more focus on welfare and disease prevention, and application of data and technology. These are some of the key mega challenges to solve to safeguard a healthy, viable and sustainable dairy sector in 2050 and beyond. This was one of the conclusions drawn from the short course ‘Jump to the future: Dairy farming 2050’. The half day event, which took place on August 12 in Ghent, Belgium, prior to the National Mastitis Council (NMC) regional meeting, attracted 140 dairy professionals from around the world. The organisers, Royal GD and Beluga Animal Health, invited 5 expert speakers to talk about the different (mega) challenges in dairy farming today, and in the future. Reducing methane production by cattle is a key challenge facing the dairy industry. Failing to do so will compromise the sector’s license in the coming decades. Rinse Jan Boersma, founder of Beluga Animal Health, explained in his presentation that the latest insights around the impact of methane are increasingly backed up with new science. He said: “Greenhouse gasses (GHG) differ in warming potential and persistence. Methane is a shortlived GHG, which means it is broken down in the atmosphere much faster than carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. In addition, most of the methane from dairy farming does not arise from fossil fuels, and therefore doesn’t bring new carbon in the atmosphere.” Boersma’s presentation therefore touched on the concept of Global Warming Potential (GWP), and its affiliated model (GWP100) that allows comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gases. Read more>> Nor-Feed obtains B-Corp label A company that specializes in natural solutions for animal nutrition, Nor-Feed announced its B-Corp label obtained on September 17, 2024. This recognition reportedly marks a key milestone for the company, underlining its commitment to environmental responsibility, social impact and transparency. By joining the global community of B-Corp companies, Nor-Feed affirms its commitment to reconciling economic performance with positive impact, thereby contributing to lasting change in the animal nutrition sector. Since its creation in 2003, over 80% of the plant extracts selected by Nor-Feed have been derived from food industry co-products, in order to minimize the use of natural resources. The company points out that its natural solutions help to reduce the use of synthetic molecules such as antibiotics and insecticides in animal feed, and to reduce the environmental impact of animal production. Recent initiatives, such as the publication of life cycle analyses of its products in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, illustrate Nor-Feed's commitment to minimizing its environmental footprint and contributing to responsible agriculture. Read more>>
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