New Zealand Looks to Reduce Gas Emission from Farm Animals
2022-11-18
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1Scientists in New Zealand are looking for a way to stop cows from burping.
2A burp is when an animal releases gas from its digestive system through its throat.
3To some, a cow burp might seem like a small thing.
4But in New Zealand, cows outnumber people two to one.
5There are only five million people in New Zealand.
6The nation is home to 10 million cows and 26 million sheep.
7Cows do not easily digest the grass they eat.
8Instead, they ferment it in multiple parts of their stomach.
9The process releases a lot of gas.
10So, every time someone eats beef or drinks milk, the process of getting that product comes at a high cost to the environment.
11The cows produce methane gas.
12While the gas does not last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it has a much stronger effect on global warming.
13The scientists in New Zealand are working on ways to reduce the amount of gas that comes out of the cows.
14They are considering changing the food the animals eat, putting a device on the cows that changes the methane into something safer, or even giving them a vaccine.
15There is also talk of feeding the cows a special red seaweed or giving them a food addition known as a probiotic, which would help them digest the grass.
16The fight against methane is serious in New Zealand.
17The country promised to reduce the gas produced by farm animals by up to 47 percent by the year 2050.
18In addition, farmers want a solution.
19That is because New Zealand announced plans to tax farmers whose animals produce too much gas.
20The farmers say they would lose money if the tax plan goes into effect.
21Peter Janssen is one scientist working on a solution.
22He works for AgResearch, a company owned by the New Zealand government.
23Janssen said the microscopic organisms, or microbes, that live in the cows' stomachs and produce the methane do not actually help digestion.
24The scientists believe anti-methane treatments would not hurt the cows or the quality of their meat or milk.
25One idea is a vaccine that would reduce the number of microbes living in the cows. Another is an inhibitor, which would do the same thing.
26Janssen said both ideas, however, are several years away from being ready.
27Another plan is to breed animals based on how much methane they produce.
28Some sheep and cows are tested in laboratories.
29The ones that produce less methane can then be used to breed more animals.
30The plan could reduce the amount of methane by 15 percent, scientists say.
31One expert said New Zealand is making good progress in reducing emissions that way.
32Sinead Leahy is the top science advisor at the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Center.
33She said the country has made "great progress" in breeding sheep that produce less gas.
34Other scientists are working to change the animals' food.
35The problem with sheep and cows in New Zealand, however, is that they walk around outside and eat grass.
36It is hard to control their food compared to cows in other countries that come inside to eat.
37That means one food additive made by a company in the Netherlands is not as helpful in New Zealand.
38So instead, scientists are trying to change the genetic makeup of the grass and other ground covering the animals eat while outside.
39A genetic change might reduce the compound in the grass that is hard to digest.
40The problem with that solution, however, is that New Zealand has strict rules on genetically modified crops.
41Those rules would need to be changed.
42Another possibly easier idea comes from farmer Aidan Bichan.
43He runs Kaiwaiwai Dairies in the town of Featherston, outside of the capital of Wellington.
44He said he is working to get more milk from each cow.
45The increased efficiency means he does not need as many cows, which in turn reduces the amount of methane coming from his farm.
46"At a farm level, we've got to do our bit to help save the planet," Bichan said.
47I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Scientists in New Zealand are looking for a way to stop cows from burping. 2A burp is when an animal releases gas from its digestive system through its throat. 3To some, a cow burp might seem like a small thing. But in New Zealand, cows outnumber people two to one. There are only five million people in New Zealand. The nation is home to 10 million cows and 26 million sheep. 4Cows do not easily digest the grass they eat. Instead, they ferment it in multiple parts of their stomach. The process releases a lot of gas. So, every time someone eats beef or drinks milk, the process of getting that product comes at a high cost to the environment. 5The cows produce methane gas. While the gas does not last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it has a much stronger effect on global warming. 6The scientists in New Zealand are working on ways to reduce the amount of gas that comes out of the cows. They are considering changing the food the animals eat, putting a device on the cows that changes the methane into something safer, or even giving them a vaccine. 7There is also talk of feeding the cows a special red seaweed or giving them a food addition known as a probiotic, which would help them digest the grass. 8The fight against methane is serious in New Zealand. The country promised to reduce the gas produced by farm animals by up to 47 percent by the year 2050. 9In addition, farmers want a solution. That is because New Zealand announced plans to tax farmers whose animals produce too much gas. The farmers say they would lose money if the tax plan goes into effect. 10Peter Janssen is one scientist working on a solution. He works for AgResearch, a company owned by the New Zealand government. Janssen said the microscopic organisms, or microbes, that live in the cows' stomachs and produce the methane do not actually help digestion. The scientists believe anti-methane treatments would not hurt the cows or the quality of their meat or milk. 11One idea is a vaccine that would reduce the number of microbes living in the cows. Another is an inhibitor, which would do the same thing. Janssen said both ideas, however, are several years away from being ready. 12Another plan is to breed animals based on how much methane they produce. Some sheep and cows are tested in laboratories. The ones that produce less methane can then be used to breed more animals. The plan could reduce the amount of methane by 15 percent, scientists say. 13One expert said New Zealand is making good progress in reducing emissions that way. 14Sinead Leahy is the top science advisor at the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Center. She said the country has made "great progress" in breeding sheep that produce less gas. 15Other scientists are working to change the animals' food. The problem with sheep and cows in New Zealand, however, is that they walk around outside and eat grass. It is hard to control their food compared to cows in other countries that come inside to eat. That means one food additive made by a company in the Netherlands is not as helpful in New Zealand. 16So instead, scientists are trying to change the genetic makeup of the grass and other ground covering the animals eat while outside. A genetic change might reduce the compound in the grass that is hard to digest. The problem with that solution, however, is that New Zealand has strict rules on genetically modified crops. Those rules would need to be changed. 17Another possibly easier idea comes from farmer Aidan Bichan. He runs Kaiwaiwai Dairies in the town of Featherston, outside of the capital of Wellington. He said he is working to get more milk from each cow. The increased efficiency means he does not need as many cows, which in turn reduces the amount of methane coming from his farm. 18"At a farm level, we've got to do our bit to help save the planet," Bichan said. 19I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo. 20Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 21___________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23digest -v. to change foods by a biological process into something that can be used by the body 24ferment -v. to go through a chemical change that results in the production of alcohol 25inhibit -v. to prevent something from happening 26emission -n. something sent out or given off 27additive -n. something, such as a chemical, added to something to improve it in a small way 28modify -v. to change a small part of something without changing the whole thing 29efficiency -n. the ability to do something without wasting unnecessary time or resources 30bit -n. a small part or contribution to an activity or process 31_________________________________________________________________ 32We want to hear from you. Do you think the scientists will be able to solve the problem with methane in New Zealand? 33We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 34Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.