OPEN LETTER On the importance of addressing methane from industrially farmed animals to help slow global warming and build farm resilience

A coalition of organizations warns that the EU's upcoming Livestock Strategy may fail to address the scale of animal farming's contribution to global warming. The letter argues that methane from agriculture is a critical driver of near-term warming and calls for the EU to set Paris Agreement-aligned targets, support herd size rebalancing through an Agri-food Just Transition Fund, and avoid treating biogenic methane differently from fossil methane.

• Global agricultural production is responsible for 40% of current global warming caused by methane, which equates to approximately 0.2°C of warming, a level comparable to the contribution from fossil methane.
• Within the European Union, nearly 60% of all methane pollution originates from raising farmed animals, with cattle accounting for 77% of those emissions.
• Methane has a warming potential 80 times greater than CO2 over a twenty-year period, making its reduction one of the fastest methods to slow near-term warming and protect food security and agricultural resilience in the EU.
• The authors argue that the EU Livestock Strategy must prioritize significant methane reductions in high-density areas, set targets aligned with the Paris Agreement, and provide financial support via an Agri-food Just Transition Fund to help farmers diversify or exit livestock production.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2026). OPEN LETTER On the importance of addressing methane from industrially farmed animals to help slow global warming and build farm resilience. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CSO-Letter-re.-methane-livestock-strategy.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. OPEN LETTER On the importance of addressing methane from industrially farmed animals to help slow global warming and build farm resilience. 2026. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CSO-Letter-re.-methane-livestock-strategy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=OPEN LETTER On the importance of addressing methane from industrially farmed animals to help slow global warming and build farm resilience |date=30 June 2026 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CSO-Letter-re.-methane-livestock-strategy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{changingmarketsfoundation2026open, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{OPEN LETTER On the importance of addressing methane from industrially farmed animals to help slow global warming and build farm resilience}}, publisher = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CSO-Letter-re.-methane-livestock-strategy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }