A US government climate initiative is to address the largest source of methane gas in the country: cows.

 

The Obama administration's crackdown on methane emissions has given fresh impetus to the development of an environmentally friendly 'cow of the future'.

 

There are currently 88 million cattle in the United States, and together their farts, burps and manure produce more methane gas than landfill sites, natural gas leaks or even fracking.

 

Methane, which has 20 times the global warming effect of carbon dioxide, accounts for 9 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions, according to White House estimates. A typical animal emits 250-300 litres of methane a day.

 

Solutions being explored range from anti-methane pills and dietary supplements to burp scanners and gas backpacks.

 

The Cow of the Future project at the Innovation Centre for US Dairy in Illinois believes that the answer is a combination of good diet and good digestion: anti-methane gourmet grains processed by the best possible bovine digestive system selective breeding can produce.

 

It has also been proposed that the energy from methane gas be harnessed using state of the art technology.

 

One such example is the National Biogas Roadmap, announced by President Barack Obama late last month, which will help install biogas digesters in slaughterhouses, dairies, and ranches that will capture methane gas released by the cows' manure. The methane can then be used on-site as natural gas, or converted into electricity.

 

The program aims to cut methane emissions from the dairy industry by 25 per cent by 2020, with 12,000 of these digesters planned for sites agricultural, landfill and wastewater. There are already 2,000 in operation across the country.