Can the national flower of Wales help fight climate change?

This major development could also prove to be a game-changer in Welsh farming. Credit: PA

Researchers are testing a new method of using daffodils to help reduce the level of methane emissions produced by livestock.

Scientists from Scotland's Rural College(SRUC), have found a chemical in the Welsh national flower that can work as a catalyst to cut down methane levels which causes greenhouse gas.

The experiment was conducted in a lab, using an artificial cow's stomach, where it could reduce the emissions by 30% when added to feed. This major development could also prove to be a game-changer in Welsh farming.

The chemical extracted from Daffodils could reduce the emissions by 30% when added to livestock's feed.

National Farmers Union, NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader welcomes this "promising" experiment.

She stated, "Agriculture is working with leading scientists and universities to develop new and innovative measures which can help reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and this latest development on feed additives offers a lot of promise."

“As livestock farmers we want to look for different alternatives to help reduce methane emissions, but we need to make sure they’re safe for our cattle to eat, we need to make sure they’re economical and can effectively reduce emissions .... to ensure it doesn't affect the performance of the cows, as well.

"We do, however, acknowledge that there is more we can do in this area to make the food we produce even more climate-friendly."

Bangor University is partnering with other organisations such as Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) for this development.

NFU Cymru aims to reach net zero agriculture emissions by 2040.

Annie Williams, Business Development Manager at CIEL, at Bangor University who are a partner in the project said: "The project will focus on the development of an innovative feed additive to reduce methane emissions and enhance protein utilisation in ruminants.

"The cultivation of a new cash crop, daffodils, for farm diversification purposes, and then finally the creation of a precision on-farm gas analyser to monitor methane emissions."

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