Fish Oils Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Flatulent Cows

[JohnWxy]

"More than a third of all methane emissions, around 900 billion tonnes every year, are produced by methanogen bacteria that live in the digestive systems of ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats."

Methane has 23 times the heat trapping capacity of CO2.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090329205457.htm

The benefits to animals of omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils have been well documented – helping the heart and circulatory system, improving meat quality and reducing methane emissions.

These last two benefits may only apply to cows but lowering emissions is important for the environment, as methane given off by farm animals is a major contribution to greenhouse gas levels. Researchers from University College Dublin reported that by including 2% fish oil in the diet of cattle, they achieved a reduction in the amount of methane released by the animals.
(more)

http://amazingdata.com/scientists-attach-rectal-methane-collecting-backpacks-to-cows/">Scientists Attach Rectal Methane-Collecting Backpacks to Cows



"DON'T LOOK AT ME!! I DIDN'T DO IT!"
....

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/methane-cow.htm|do cows pollute as much as cars?>


Agriculture is responsible for an estimated 14 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. A significant portion of these emissions come from methane, which, in terms of its contribution to global warming, is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization says that agricultural methane output could increase by 60 percent by 2030 . The world's 1.5 billion cows and billions of other grazing animals emit dozens of polluting gases, including lots of methane. Two-thirds of all ammonia comes from cows.

Cows emit a massive amount of methane through belching, with a lesser amount through flatulence. Statistics vary regarding how much methane the average dairy cow expels. Some experts say 100 liters to 200 liters a day (or about 26 gallons to about 53 gallons), while others say it's up to 500 liters (about 132 gallons) a day. In any case, that's a lot of methane, an amount comparable to the pollution produced by a car in a day.
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[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Either in the cows' stomachs or on the ground in the pie, them

bacteria will have their day in court.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Um, those oils are found in many plant crops ...

better to use flax, hemp, or chia seeds than to find another reason for overfishing the oceans.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. I thought plants were the Omega 6 kind?

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Varies greatly; I listed some good sources of omega-3 ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#Botanical_sources

has more, including Kiwi fruit, lingonberries and black raspberries -- all news to me. Most of the omega-3 in fish oil are obtained from algae and plankton; apparently fish do not synthesize them themselves. Both fish and krill may be contaminated with heavy metal pollutants, so it might be safer to keep those out of the food chain:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#Fish

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. I definitely need more Omega 3s. Thanks for the great list!

[tinrobot]

6. So we're going to kill more fish so we can eat more beef?

Sounds rather counterproductive to me.

[JohnWxy]

7. actually grass, which cows evolved to eat, contains Omega-3 fatty acids.

I didn't know this, but saw a show on PBS. A doctor promoting reducing Cancer through life-style changes mentioned that if cattle in the U.S. ate grass instead of corn their meat and dairy products would contain the Omega-3 fatty acids rather than the Omega-6s they acquire from eating so much corn and soy products. Omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation in the body. (This tends to promote cancers.) The Western diet rich in red meat promotes cancer development.

Cattle would be better off eating grass than corn. 80% of our corn crop is fed to cattle and pigs. We would be better off if they ate grass.