Daffodils grown across the UK could become a natural feed additive that cuts methane burps from cows and sheep. Ruminant livestock currently produce 80% of UK agricultural methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas that the government has pledged to reduce by 30% by 2030 under the Global Methane Pledge. The project extracts plant-based alkaloids from daffodils and adds them to animal feed. Preliminary data suggest this could cut direct methane emissions while improving feed protein efficiency by 50%, meaning animals need less imported high-protein feed such as soyabean meal. That would reduce nitrous oxide emissions and lower the carbon footprint of dairy and meat production—currently more than 90% of corporate dairy emissions come from cow methane. If the approach works at scale, it would create a new UK supply chain for daffodil alkaloids, offering farmers a diversified income stream and rural jobs. The project is a feasibility study, not a commercial rollout, but it addresses a concrete problem: how to keep livestock productive while cutting two potent greenhouse gases without relying on synthetic additives or imported feed.
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This is a 48-month feasibility research project which aims to develop tools which will contribute to the COP26 Global Methane Pledge of cutting global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030\. The project will seek to develop a naturally sourced nutritional additive to reduce methane emissions from ruminants, which currently account for 80% of the total methane emissions from agriculture in the UK. The project will also address the requirement to improve the efficiency of feed utilisation by ruminants, which will reduce the demand for imported high-protein feed materials, supporting sustainable milk and meat production. The rural economy will also benefit through diversification and employment opportunities for farming, an industry currently challenged by post-Brexit pressures. The project is based on greater use of locally available plant-based compounds called alkaloids, which can be extracted from daffodils. As daffodils are grown widely throughout the UK, production and extraction these compounds can be local, sustainable and resilient. Preliminary data estimates that by using a specific alkaloid from daffodils, direct methane emissions from ruminants can be significantly reduced whilst simultaneously improving the efficiency of feed protein utilisation by 50%. Improving feed protein utilisation will lead to increased productivity of the ruminant sector whilst reducing the production of nitrous oxide, another potent greenhouse gas. This would subsequently reduce the requirement for high-protein imported feeds such as soyabean meal, improving the sustainability of British farming. This project presents several benefits to both UK agriculture and wider society. \*Reduce the carbon footprint of the ruminant livestock sector by developing and validating a novel technology geared to boost feed protein efficiency whilst reducing methane emissions (currently more than 90% of the corporate dairy industry emissions are methane produced by cows). \*Improve productivity and resilience in the dairy sector by reducing the need to feed high-cost imported feed materials. \*Establish a UK-based supply chain to support the diversification of UK agriculture and boost the rural economy by providing higher incomes for farmers. \*Improve food security in the UK and provide rural job opportunities.
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