Call for evidence on methane suppressing feed products

Overview

Methane suppressing feed products are defined here as natural or synthetic compounds added to or included in animals’ diets which lead to less methane being produced whilst the animal is digesting the feed. They include a range of products including methanogenesis inhibitors, seaweeds, essential oils, organic acids, probiotics, and antimicrobials.

This call for evidence will explore the potential for methane suppressing feed products with the aim to gather views from across the agri-food chain which will help inform our ongoing consideration of this topic and future policy development. 

It will consider questions of awareness and perception, the current role of feed additives within our farming systems, and the potential barriers that could prevent the introduction of methane suppressing feed products in both the near- and long-term future.

Finally, we are seeking views on whether uptake could best be driven by government interventions, industry or voluntary led solutions and what might these interventions entail.