A dairy cow that miscarries costs a farmer more than one lost calf. Feed has already been grown, land and water used, and greenhouse gases released during the pregnancy, yet no milk, no future animal, and no income result from it. That simple calculation sits at the center of a growing body of research on farm animals and climate change.
According to a report by Phys.org, researchers examining livestock systems around the world found that preventing disease in farm animals can improve growth, milk production, fertility, and survival, and can often lower the emissions associated with each liter of milk or kilogram of meat produced.
Methane is one of the most significant greenhouse gases involved. It is produced by microbes inside a cow's stomach during digestion, a process called enteric methane, and most of it is breathed out into the atmosphere. Healthier animals are more productive, so the methane they emit is spread across more milk or meat, reducing the emissions tied to each unit produced.
The research team, whose peer-reviewed paper examines evidence from livestock operations around the world, developed a new project called Halow, which stands for Health Approaches for Lowering Livestock Emissions. The initiative has been approved as a major international research project under the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. It is supported by the Global Methane Hub, an international philanthropic alliance formed by more than 20 major climate foundations. The project will test when improvements in animal health deliver genuine climate benefits.
The researchers were careful to note limits in the existing science. Studies investigating greenhouse gas emissions in livestock make different assumptions and usually use estimates rather than directly measuring emissions. Because of that inconsistency, the available evidence is not yet strong or consistent enough for animal health to be included confidently in climate policy.
The findings also reflect different needs in different parts of the world. In wealthier countries, much of the debate centers on reducing meat and dairy consumption to cut total emissions. In low- and middle-income countries, the situation is different. Demand for milk, meat, and eggs is growing in those regions, while access to diverse diets remains unequal.
Livestock in poorer countries also serve functions beyond food. They provide income, savings, manure, and power for farming. Keeping animals alive and producing near their potential could deliver more food and income from resources already in use. The researchers describe animal health as part of a fairer climate response, while also noting that it is not a license for unrestricted expansion of livestock numbers.
The research team previously calculated the potential impacts of reducing calf deaths and pregnancy loss in livestock in a study focused on Kenya and Tanzania. The new Halow project builds on that work with a broader international scope, aiming to produce the stronger and more consistent evidence that policymakers would need before making animal health a formal part of climate strategy.
