Feds offer funding to reduce methane

The federal agriculture department recently launched the Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge for cow-calf, dairy and feedlot producers. The objective is to stimulate innovations that will reduce methane emissions in cattle. 

Read Also

Opinion: Alternative proteins’ impact on the livestock sector

The future has arrived for alternative proteins. Consumers now have many plant-based options in addition to livestock products such as…

Up to $12 million will be awarded to innovators who advance low-cost and scalable practices, processes and technologies.

Why it matters: Cattle are major contributors to methane emissions in Canada.

The challenge is inspired by the 2020 Food Waste Reduction Challenge, said an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada news release.

The funding announcement was made Nov. 14 by Francis Drouin, parliamentary secretary to agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay, at the Sainte-Clotilde experimental farm in Châteauguay, Que.

Also present were Kirk Jackson, representing the Canadian Cattle Association, and Daniel Gobeil, representing Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Any Canadian cattle producer, company or organization has until Feb. 7, 2024 to apply. 

The challenge has several stages. Up to 20 prizes with a maximum value of $250,000 are offered to eligible candidates who participate in stage one.

Then, up to 10 prizes with a maximum value of $500,000 are offered to semi-finalists who participate in stage two.

In the final stage, two winners will be selected and awarded up to $1 million each. All semi-finalists and finalists will also benefit from non-financial support, such as mentoring and training opportunities.

Drouin highlighted efforts already undertaken and commitments made by cattle producers and dairy producers. In particular, he highlighted the commitment of the Canadian Cattle Association to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a third by 2030 and the commitment by the Dairy Farmers of Canada to be carbon neutral by 2050. 

He said methane emissions from the beef industry have been reduced by 20 per cent since 2005, while production increased. 

This makes the beef industry a sector with the lowest carbon footprint in the world. 

“It’s remarkable, but it’s still not enough,” said Drouin. 

“Methane is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential which is more than 80 times that of CO2 over a 20-year horizon. Reducing enteric methane emissions therefore means having a major positive impact on the environmental footprint of agriculture, on that of the entire country.”