This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: When a dairy cow miscarries, a farmer loses far more than an unborn calf. Feed has been grown, land and water have been used, and greenhouse gases have been released during the cow's pregnancy, but milk production, a future animal and income are lost.
One of the most important of these greenhouse gases is methane. Methane is produced by microbes within a cow's stomach during digestion (known as enteric methane), and most of it is breathed out into the atmosphere. Healthier animals are more productive, so the methane they emit is associated with more milk or meat, reducing the emissions associated with each liter or kilogram produced.
My research focuses on diseases in farm animals such as cows, goats and sheep. In a recent peer-reviewed journal paper, my team and I examined evidence from livestock systems around the world. We found that preventing disease can improve growth, milk production, fertility and survival, often lowering the emissions associated with each liter of milk or kilogram of meat.
However, the available evidence is not yet strong or consistent enough for animal health to be included confidently in climate policy. Studies investigating greenhouse gas emissions in livestock make different assumptions and usually use estimates rather than directly measuring emissions. Building on ongoing research supported by the Global Methane Hub (an international philanthropic alliance formed by more than 20 major climate foundations), we developed a new project called Halow (Health Approaches for Lowering Livestock Emissions).
Recently approved as a major international research initiative of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, it will test when improvements in animal health deliver genuine climate benefits. There is no single way to transition to more sustainable livestock farming globally. Much of the debate in high-income countries focuses on eating less meat and dairy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
However, in low- and middle-income countries, demand for milk, meat and eggs is growing while access to diverse diets remains unequal. The priorities for food production vary across different parts of the world. Wealthier countries are looking to reduce excess consumption and total emissions, while many poorer countries need to improve access to nutritious food without allowing emissions to grow at the same rate.
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