Can Nordic hemisphere macroalgae reduce emission of methane from ruminant livestock?

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gases (GHG) with 25 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide (CO2) (Eckard et al., 2010; Jeyanathan et al., 2014). Emission of CH4 from livestock contributes to climate change accounting for roughly 28% of global anthropogenic CH4 emission (Beauchemin et al., 2008). Enteric CH4 production also results in a significant energy loss to the animals which amounts to 2 to 12% of the gross energy intake (Martin et al., 2010; Benchaar and Greathead, 2011; Patra, 2012). Therefore, safe and effective enteric methane mitigation strategies will have a positive contribution to both the environment and animal productivity.