New Zealand is considering a plan to tax methane from cows. But while cows and cars both emit greenhouse gases, they don’t have the same impact over time.
Cow burps are a major contributor to methane emissions.
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Mike Joy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
A new study of dairying in Canterbury shows previous estimates vastly underestimate the impact of intensive farming. A 12-fold reduction in cow numbers could be needed to meet safe water standards.
Technological changes on the horizon will likely disrupt the dairy industry as we know it — plans to mitigate the risks this transition poses to farmer livelihoods and animal welfare should start now.
Cows’ milk yields rise when they eat Brachiaria grass.
Eric Ouma/ILRI
Cow burps and farts are no joke – they’re a big factor in climate change. A new study shows that daily seaweed supplements could tame this major methane source while saving ranchers money.
There are so many milk alternatives these days, but it can be difficult to tell how beneficial they might be for our health. So we asked a dietitian to run through the main options.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on veterinarians due in part to a run on puppies, but financial uncertainties have also added further strain on an already stressed-out profession.
(Piqsels)
Veterinarians are already at risk of emotional distress and burnout. The experiences of an Alberta veterinary practice shows COVID-19 is having a further impact.
Backyard chickens may seem free and happy, but are at increased risk of contracting diseases from wild birds.
Bruce Turner/Flickr
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some critics say livestock farms promote diseases that spread from animals to humans. An animal scientist explains how well-run farms work to keep that from happening.
The battle between Jones and Morrison came down to the repeated, and, for the seething Jones, existential question, ‘How does that feed a cow?’
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Alan Jones unleashed his well-known tactics of lecturing and insult as he accused Scott Morrison of failing the immediate needs of drought-stricken farmers.
Livestock, like these goats in the Rift Valley of Tanzania, are critical to household economies in East Africa.
Katherine Grillo
Pastoralism is a central part of many Africans’ identity. But how and when did this way of life get started on the continent? Ancient DNA can reveal how herding populations spread.
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford