More than a dozen calves wait at a research farm in New Zealand to be fed "Kowbucha," a punnily named probiotic that studies show reduces methane emissions — or burps.
The Kowbucha powder is blended into a milk-like drink fed to the calves at the Massey University farm in the city of Palmerston North.
The regular feeds are part of a series of trials being carried out by New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra since 2021 to gauge how effective the probiotic is in reducing methane emissions. New Zealand has pledged to cut biogenic methane emissions by 10% on 2017 levels by 2030 and by up to 47% by 2050.