Smarter feed. Stronger genes. Healthier herds.

The document outlines a strategy to reduce livestock methane emissions, which account for up to 32% of human-caused methane, by focusing on three pillars: animal nutrition, genetics, and health. It emphasizes that increasing animal productivity reduces methane emissions per unit of food and can serve as an entry point for climate action in resistant markets. The brief calls for a 25% increase in productivity growth over historical rates to meet 2050 demand. It advocates for the scaling of breakthrough technologies like vaccines and feed additives, the development of more accurate measurement tools to reduce current error rates of 30–40%, and the implementation of farmer-led adoption strategies supported by innovative finance, such as the $360 million Dairy Interventions for Mitigation and Adaptation initiative in East Africa.

• Livestock production is a primary driver of global warming, contributing up to 32% of human-caused methane emissions.
• Increasing animal productivity is a fundamental strategy for emissions reduction because more productive animals emit less methane per unit of food produced. To meet 2050 demand, productivity growth must increase by 25% over historical rates, requiring growth of 76% in sheep and goat, 67% in beef, and 58% in dairy production compared to 2010 levels.
• The adoption of breakthrough methane-reducing technologies—including vaccines, feed additives, improved forage, and genetic selection—can be additive or multiplicative. For instance, combining vaccines with genetic improvements can amplify both climate and productivity benefits.
• Current methane measurement tools are hindered by error rates of 30–40%, which complicates the verification of small reductions and limits the value of carbon credits.
• Financial barriers and perceived risks limit the adoption of methane-reducing technologies, though data-backed initiatives are proving successful, such as the $360 million Dairy Interventions for Mitigation and Adaptation initiative in East Africa.

APA

Ferreira, F., Brooke, C., Olafson, B., Kohler, G., Chow, J., Ruiter, P., & Tepe, D. (2025). Smarter feed. Stronger genes. Healthier herds. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2025/10/smarter-feed-stronger-genes-healthier-herds/

Chicago

Ferreira, Fernanda, Charles Brooke, Barrett Olafson, Greg Kohler, Jennifer Chow, Pamela Ruiter, and Derek Tepe. Smarter feed. Stronger genes. Healthier herds. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/2025/10/smarter-feed-stronger-genes-healthier-herds/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ferreira |first1=Fernanda |last2=Brooke |first2=Charles |last3=Olafson |first3=Barrett |last4=Kohler |first4=Greg |last5=Chow |first5=Jennifer |last6=Ruiter |first6=Pamela |last7=Tepe |first7=Derek |title=Smarter feed. Stronger genes. Healthier herds. |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=22 October 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/2025/10/smarter-feed-stronger-genes-healthier-herds/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ferreira2025smarter, author = {Ferreira, Fernanda and Brooke, Charles and Olafson, Barrett and Kohler, Greg and Chow, Jennifer and Ruiter, Pamela and Tepe, Derek}, title = {{Smarter feed. Stronger genes. Healthier herds.}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://www.catf.us/2025/10/smarter-feed-stronger-genes-healthier-herds/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }