SUSTAINABILITY 86 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2026 nipulations. Nutritional modifications and increasing production efficiency have been a significant focus in animal nutrition due to their rapid effects, benefits for farmers and the environment, and relatively easy application.” Evaluating the topic within the context of regulations and practical applications, Steve Meller draws attention to natural solutions, stating: “Mitigation can be achieved simply by feeding ruminants natural solutions such as whole Asparagopsis. As a natural solution, governments don’t have to work to reverse worrying greenhouse gas emissions, they’re simply preventing the greenhouse gasses from being emitted in the first place. There are limits to the ability of any farmer to reduce emissions – whether it be solar panels or increasing energy efficiencies, carbon farming or sinks, or even electric farm machinery. However, introducing methane-reducing feeds, which are low-cost and highly-efficient, create a simple answer and enable farmers to meet increasingly-stringent regulations in different countries by tackling one of the largest sources of farm emissions.” Reminding us that as the population grows, the demand for beef and dairy will continue to rise, Meller states that a remarkable 90% reduction in methane is possible. He explains: “To prevent agricultural emissions increasing, we can act now. Asparagopsis has been proven in various studies to reduce methane emissions by up to 90 per cent, by feeding cows Asparagopsis-based feeds consisting of as little as .5 per cent of their daily diet. This is a low-cost, natural solution which can support farmers to also earn a premium for providing low-emissions beef or milk to the market.” Similarly, Gianluigi Sgarbi touches upon natural products, stating: “Some natural products are able to modulate methane emission at rumen level without impairing animal productivity and, much more important, animal welfare. Indeed, it is essential that this reduction is, first of all, achieved by natural products, and that it is not excessive, no more than 25%, to avoid compromising cattle health and performance.” HOW DOES NUTRITION CONTRIBUTE TO METHANE REDUCTION? Nutritional solutions for mitigating methane emissions consist of various strategies targeting different biological mechanisms. These solutions range from approaches that directly modulate rumen fermentation to those that indirectly reduce emission intensity by improving feed efficiency. Jason Jeong-Hoon Kim classifies nutritional strategies according to their mechanisms as follows: “Nutritional strategies/solutions to mitigate ruminant-derived methane are primarily defined by their modes of action and can be grouped into three broad Steve Meller CH4 Global Gianluigi Sgarbi Vetos Europe
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