GreenCow seen and herd around the world

Tuesday 5th December 2017, 4:00pm

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is making headlines around the world following a visit by Reuters to SRUC’s GreenCow facility at Easter Howgate.

Professor Richard Dewhurst, Head of the Future Farming Systems Group, and Professor Rainer Roehe of Animal Genetics and Microbiome, were interviewed for a film created by the global news agency, which is now featured on websites such as USA Today and AOL.

'Battle of the Belch: Cutting Methane from Cattle' shows how SRUC researchers have discovered that animal diet and breeding strategies could help to reduce global methane emissions. The film also sees Prof Dewhurst dispel a common myth, namely that most methane emissions emanate from the back end of cows, when in fact 95 per cent of the gases come from the front!

"We were very pleased to welcome Reuters to Easter Howgate to film the amazing set-up at GreenCow, which will help to raise the profile of this hugely important study.  Reducing greenhouse gas emissions goes hand in hand with efficient, productive livestock farming and GreenCow has allowed us to identify a number of things that will help to reduce methane emissions. This includes animal diet and breeding strategies which could eventually make a big difference to global food security.”

Professor Richard Dewhurst, Head of the Future Farming Systems Group

Established in 2011, GreenCow is currently in the second year of a five-year programme of funding from the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) division.