Money to be made by reducing emission and save energy on the farm.
Curious to learn more about feed additives and how they can take your farm to the next level?
Scroll down to learn more about feed additives, how they work and how they are best used on farms like yours. Together we want to make business that makes sense for your farm.
Methane reducing feed additives gently suppress the microbes in rumen that produce methane during digestion, reducing methane production and energy loss at the source.
Feed additives are a profitable and practical solution for cattle farmers that reduces emissions and energy loss, without compromising on safety, animal welfare or quality.
How do they work on farms?
Feed additives are blended directly into the existing feed at the farmers preferred feed company.
The dosage is small but effective; just a few grams per cattle per day make a big difference.
The feed additives are just like any other feed ingredient. No special handling or equipment required.
Mixing into feed
In the rumen, microbes break down feed and release methane as a natural byproduct. Evolutionarily, when ruminants grazed wild on tough, fibrous forage, this was an important adaptation to maintain a healthy fermentation process.
2-12% of the energy in feed is lost as methane. In modern farming, where cattle have constant access to high-quality feed, this methane-producing function wastes energy without providing any meaningful benefit.
Feed additives gently suppress the methane-forming microbes in the rumen, reducing methane production and feed energy loss at the source.
The additives then break down as part of the animals normal digestive process, keeping cattle healthy, productive, and well-fed.
The animal science of rumen nutrition
Lower methane emissions means lower environmental footprint of food and materials.
Savings of lost energy from feed means higher productivity and cost savings.
Together we make business that makes sense for your farm.
A win win for farmers and customers
Why feed additives
Safe and scientifically proven
Feed additives on the market have been tested in many studies and real-world farm trials. They can reduce methane and prevent energy loss without affecting animal health, meat, or manure quality.
Get paid for reducing emissions
More and more customers are introducing climate bonuses for food with proven lower emissions footprint. That means lower emissions and higher returns for your farm.
Fast and effective climate action
Feed additives gently suppress methane-producing microbes within hours giving an instant win for global warming. A local and direct way to make a measurable difference.
Futureproof your beef production
As regulations tighten, additives help ensure your farm stays ahead of climate compliance and market expectations.
Simple to use, easy to scale
Feed additives come premixed into your regular feed with your local feed company. No new systems or infrastructure needed. Works across farm sizes and feeding systems.
Rising demand for low-emission farming
Consumers and buyers want more sustainable products. Feed additives help meet that demand without compromising farmer profitability.
What do the farmers say?
“We have great faith in the technology and research behind this and hope that, before long, we will be able to give feed additives to all our animals, thereby reducing our impact on the climate.”
Helena Graflund
Tre Bönder
“It was clear for us to participate in this pilot project. Beef has received a lot of undeserved criticism, so we wanted to join in and show that emissions can be reduced.”
Märtha and Pontus Bengtson Norman
Ejmunds Farm
FAQs
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Beef cattle, and all ruminants, burp because their digestive system has evolved into a highly specialized biological fermentation chamber. Unlike the acidic, single-chamber stomach found in most mammals, ruminants use a four-compartment system designed to cultivate a diverse community of microorganisms. These microbes break down cellulose and other low-quality plant fibers that would otherwise be indigestible, converting them into energy-rich fatty acids that directly fuel the animal.
This fermentation process naturally generates gas, resulting in regular burping. Most microbial species contribute to the animal’s energy supply, but some do not: methane-producing archaea convert residual fermentation byproducts into methane without providing energetic value to the cattle. These organisms are ancient, globally widespread, and play a key role in processing otherwise unusable biological waste while also being the primary source of methane emissions from livestock and the reason up to 10% of the potential energy is being wasted.
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Trials show that methane-reducing feed additives are safe for cattle and do not affect the quality of the meat. Regulatory approval, once granted, confirms this safety. As long as the additive only affects the methane producing bacteria, the cattle doesn't even know that her burps contain less methane. The other bacteria will simply take over the space that methanogens once used to populate in the rumen.
Studies also demonstrate that these additives can improve either feed efficiency or animal productivity by helping cattle run a more optimised rumen fermentation with more of the energy from their feed being used by the cattle instead of losing it as methane. In practice, cattle eating the additives remain just as healthy, happy and comfortable, but slightly more productive or more economic for the farmer to keep. This increased efficiency can manifest either as a total lower feed intake but same animal productivity as before or as unchanged feed intake but increased animal productivity.
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Feed additives can have a taste but the amount they eat is so small that it’s unnoticeable for the cattle. The additives have been mixed into the regular feed without changing the overall taste. It’s a bit like we use spices for our human food. Feed additives are designed to taste good and be easy for cattle to consume, supporting their diet and health without altering their natural feeding habits.
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Methane production uses about 10% of a cattle’s feed energy, which is lost when the animal releases methane through burping. In theory, reducing this energy loss could support higher productivity. However, productivity in beef systems is complex and influenced by many factors—including diet composition, management, genetics, health, and environmental conditions.
Research trials have shown mixed results: some have found improvements in feed efficiency. Because of this variability, productivity outcomes cannot be guaranteed for every farm.
Any dietary change should be introduced gradually, including the use of feed additives. A careful evaluation on each specific farm—its animals, feed strategy, and conditions—is needed to understand the potential energy savings and their actual effect on productivity.
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No. Feed additives work specifically in the rumen to prevent methane emissions from being burped out by the cow. The manure is not affected and continues to function effectively for biogas production and as a fertilizer, just as it would without the additives.
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No, the taste or texture of beef is not affected by the additives. Rigorous tests have confirmed that feed additives do not leave any residues or add any substances that would impact the sensory qualities of beef or dairy products.
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Yes. The feed additives are the result of years of research and have been proven safe for both humans and animals. They effectively reduce emissions without compromising the health or safety of livestock or people.
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Currently, feed additives are only given to cattle when they are indoors in the barn or in feedlots, as they can easily be mixed into their regular feed. This doesn’t mean that the cattle will spend more time indoors just because they receive feed additives. Additives for grazing livestock are under development and are expected to be implemented in the coming years.
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Methane emissions can be measured effectively using a measurement station in the barn. We continuously track emissions from individual cattle as they approach the station for supplemental feed. By collecting sufficient data, we can model the overall emissions reduction for the entire herd, with the model closely matching real measurement values. We also monitor and verify these reductions over time, ensuring the supplements’ effects are accurately tracked.
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Feed additives are easy to implement and require almost no changes to daily feeding routines. The additives arrive at the farm pre-mixed into the cattle’s regular mineral or concentrate feed and can be included in the total mixed ration as usual. Additives are currently fed only to stabled cows that receive daily feeding.