Scientists from Aberystwyth University claim to have made a breakthrough in tackling flatulence in cows and sheep, which are currently responsible for over 3 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers claim that by putting garlic in their food, farmers can reduce flatulence in ruminants. image expired

The £5 million research programme conducted by Aberystwith in cooperation with Reading and Bangor universities found that an organosulphur compound obtained from garlic kills off methane-producing bacterium in the cows’ digestive system, reducing the amount of methane the animals produce by up to 50 per cent.

Professor Jamie Newbold, who led the research in Aberystwyth, explained, "Garlic directly attacks the organisms in the gut that produce methane." He revealed new types of feed from plant extracts and grass with a higher sugar content as well as oats were also being developed to help reduce emissions.

Scientists consider cows the worst source of methane, a greenhouse gas which is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming; cows produce 30 per cent of the UK’s emissions of the gas, with the average dairy cow producing 500 litres per day, mostly through belching.

The Aberystwyth research team is currently testing whether the garlic preparation taints milk or meat, though Professor Newbold said the results so far were "promising." The Welsh Government aims to make the Welsh farming industry carbon neutral by 2020.