Tesco has announced its partnering with Grosvenor Farms, one of its key UK dairy farms, to trial a methane-reducing feed supplement for dairy cows.
Grosvenor Farms is one of the original members of the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group and was identified as having one of the lowest carbon footprints of any milk producer.
It has now added the methane-reducing feed supplement, Bovaer, to the diet of 400 cows as part of the trial.
The supplement works by suppressing the enzymes responsible for producing methane, leading to a reduction in the amount of methane produced as the cow digests its food with no impact on animal welfare.
Bovaer is supplied by dsm-firmenich and has been shown to reduce methane emissions by up to 30% and if implemented across the whole of Grosvenor Farms, it could lead to an overall reduction in farm greenhouse gas emissions of up to 12%.
“We see commercial and environmental sustainability as mutually reinforcing, producing high-quality milk while also working to improve soil health, eliminate pollution and recycle waste,” said Mark Roach, managing director of Grosvenor Farms.
“We already have one of the lowest carbon footprints for milk production in the UK and we are very pleased to be working with our partner Tesco to trial innovative technologies like Bovaer in order to develop a lower-carbon milk supply chain and in doing so support our ambition to be a carbon net zero milk producer by 2030,” he added.
As a result of the enhanced feed, the carbon footprint of each cow is projected to reduce by about 1.3 tonnes CO2e annually.
“Leading the transition to a low carbon agriculture sector is something we’re really passionate about at Tesco,” said Natalie Smith, head of sustainable agriculture and fisheries at Tesco. “We’ve been carrying out innovative trials like this for a number of years now, so I’m delighted we’re going to be partnering with Grosvenor Farms on a project that could have such a significant effect on emissions reduction in our supply chain.”
If the four-month trial is successful, Tesco hopes to scale up the use of Bovaer across the TSDG.
The TSDG is now in its 17th year and includes more than 400 British dairy farmers who are paid on a cost of production+ model for the fresh milk they supply to Tesco, ensuring a consistent fair price for every pint of milk.
Tesco paid £40m above market price over the 2023 calendar year to its TSDG farmers.
This comes following an announcement from Morrisons that it would be carrying out a partnership with Myton Food Group and environmental tech company Sea Forest to introduce seaweed-based livestock feed into its beef supply chain.
The compounds contained in SeaFeed – which occur naturally in a native Australian seaweed – inhibit the bacteria that produces methane in the complex stomachs of cows, sheep and goats, Morrisons said.
No comments yet