Alberta Emission Offset System: Quantification protocol for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fed cattle

Agricultural activities like the production of livestock result in a lot of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Beef cattle release a large amount of methane (CH₄) as a result of digesting feed materials in the rumen; these are enteric fermentation emissions. Manure storage and handling in beef cattle operations can also be a significant source of GHG emissions – CH4 and nitrous oxide (N₂0) emissions.

This protocol for reducing GHG emissions from fed cattle addresses digestion and manure storage/handling sources of livestock GHG emissions. The protocol allows for quantifying GHG reductions using alterations in feeding strategies and other technologies in the final stages of beef cattle at feedlots in Alberta, Canada.

Livestock sector experts and agricultural scientists have developed a Tier 2 accounting procedures for enteric and manure emissions generated by different cattle classes in Canada through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Canada’s National Emissions Inventory (NIR). The scope of this protocol includes innovative management and feeding practice strategies that can increase the efficiency of feed use and reduce GHG emissions in cattle.

Alberta Carbon Offset Program

2016