HIGH STEAKS : HOW FOCUSING ON AGRICULTURE CAN ENSURE THE EU MEETS ITS METHANE-REDUCTION GOALS

The briefing, based on a CE Delft study, finds that the EU could reduce domestic methane emissions by 49-68% by 2030 if all available mitigation measures are implemented. Agriculture is the largest source of EU methane, contributing 53% of emissions (8 Mt/year), yet it is the most neglected sector in current policy, with only a 3.7% reduction expected under business-as-usual trends. The most significant reduction potential comes from shifting consumer diets toward lower meat and dairy consumption, which alone could reduce total EU methane emissions by 15-19%. Technical measures, including feed additives and manure management, offer further reductions, though they are less impactful than dietary shifts. The document recommends that the EU set science-aligned methane targets for agriculture, promote plant-rich diets through the Sustainable Food Systems Framework Law, and impose binding methane-reporting and reduction targets on corporations.

• The EU could achieve a total domestic methane emission reduction of 49-68% (7.5 to 10.3 Mt per year) by 2030 if all available technical and behavioural mitigation measures across the energy, waste, and agriculture sectors are implemented.
• Agriculture is the primary source of anthropogenic methane in the EU, accounting for 53% of emissions in 2019 (8 Mt per year). Within this sector, 82% of emissions result from enteric fermentation in ruminants, with cattle responsible for 86% of those emissions, while manure accounts for the remaining 18%.
• Shifting EU consumer diets to align with health guidelines—specifically halving the consumption of beef and pork and reducing milk consumption by 25%—could reduce the agriculture sector's methane emissions by 29-37%, which equates to a 15-19% reduction in total EU methane emissions.
• Current EU policies are insufficient for the agriculture sector; under business-as-usual trends, only a 3.7% reduction in non-CO2 emissions is expected by 2030. While the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) proposal may add 2-4% in reductions, its impact is limited by a 2027 implementation date and various loopholes.
• Technical mitigation measures in livestock agriculture, such as feed changes, selective breeding, and manure management, can provide further reductions. Feed and animal-health management could yield 4-23% reductions when interacting with dietary shifts, while manure management measures could lead to a 4-7% reduction.
• The use of anaerobic digestion for manure to produce biogas may have a perverse effect by providing economic incentives that increase overall livestock production and enteric fermentation emissions.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2023). HIGH STEAKS : HOW FOCUSING ON AGRICULTURE CAN ENSURE THE EU MEETS ITS METHANE-REDUCTION GOALS. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/High-stakes-Part-1.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. HIGH STEAKS : HOW FOCUSING ON AGRICULTURE CAN ENSURE THE EU MEETS ITS METHANE-REDUCTION GOALS. 2023. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/High-stakes-Part-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=HIGH STEAKS : HOW FOCUSING ON AGRICULTURE CAN ENSURE THE EU MEETS ITS METHANE-REDUCTION GOALS |date=2023 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/High-stakes-Part-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2023high, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{HIGH STEAKS : HOW FOCUSING ON AGRICULTURE CAN ENSURE THE EU MEETS ITS METHANE-REDUCTION GOALS}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2023}, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/High-stakes-Part-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }