Regenerative livestock farming: how to cut cattle methane

Regenerative livestock farming is a model of animal production that seeks to improve soil health, the water cycle and biodiversity while producing food, rather than degrading those resources. Its central tool is grazing management: moving cattle in a planned way to mimic the behaviour of wild herds and give pastures time to recover. The goal is not just to produce meat or milk, but to leave the ecosystem in better shape than it was found.

On the climate side, livestock's great challenge is methane. Enteric fermentation in ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) is by far the main source of greenhouse gases in the sector, and methane is a short-lived but high-warming gas. In the IPCC's sixth assessment report, its 100-year global warming potential is 27 times that of CO2 for non-fossil methane, which is the case for livestock enteric methane, and 29.8 for fossil methane. The fifth assessment report used a single value of 28, which still appears in many inventories.

What regenerative livestock farming is

Regenerative livestock farming is not a single standard or certification, but a set of management principles aimed at regenerating the farm's natural capital. It rests on ideas such as maximising soil cover, keeping living roots year-round, increasing species diversity and, above all, integrating cattle as an ecological tool rather than a burden on the land.

It fits within nature-based solutions, because it uses ecological processes (trampling, grazing and well-distributed manure) to restore soil function. A healthier soil holds more water, better withstands drought and can store more carbon, directly linking productivity with climate resilience.

Rational, holistic and rotational grazing

The core of the model is how and when animals graze. As opposed to continuous grazing, which keeps cattle on the same plot for long periods and tends to overgraze the most palatable plants, regenerative farming uses variants of planned grazing:

• Rotational grazing: the farm is divided into paddocks and cattle move between them, letting each area rest before it is grazed again.
• Voisin rational grazing: it systematises those rests according to the pasture's regrowth rhythm, seeking the sweet spot between too early and too late.
• Holistic management: it embeds grazing planning in broader decision-making that considers soil, water, biodiversity and economic viability.

The common denominator is recovery time: by concentrating grazing into short periods and giving long rests, plants regrow more vigorously, roots deepen and soil organic matter increases.

Enteric methane: the main emission

Ruminants digest fibre thanks to microorganisms that ferment feed in the rumen, and one of the by-products of that anaerobic fermentation is methane, which the animal releases mainly by belching. This enteric fermentation is the largest source of direct livestock emissions and explains why reducing methane is the sector's climate priority.

It is important to understand the nature of methane to avoid oversimplification. It is a potent but relatively short-lived gas in the atmosphere, which means that cutting emissions has a noticeable cooling effect within a few decades. That makes livestock methane one of the most agile mitigation levers, but it also requires measuring it well and not confusing emission reduction with offsetting through carbon sequestration, which are different things.

Levers to reduce methane

There is no single solution, but a combination of strategies acting on the animal, its diet and its management:

1. Feeding and forage quality: more digestible forage and a well-balanced diet improve conversion efficiency and reduce methane per unit of product.
2. Feed additives: there are additives and compounds that partially inhibit methane production in the rumen; their effectiveness and fit in grazing systems depend on the case.
3. Genetics and animal health: selecting more efficient animals and keeping the herd healthy reduces emissions per litre of milk or kilo of meat.
4. Herd management: improving fertility, reducing slaughter age and optimising herd structure cuts the methane linked to unproductive animals.

Most of these levers reduce emission intensity (methane per unit produced). Combining them with good grazing management is what allows tackling efficiency and ecosystem health at the same time.

Carbon sequestration in pastures: potential and debate

The most attractive argument for regenerative livestock farming is that good grazing management can increase the carbon stored in soil, turning grasslands into carbon sinks. The logic is sound: more plant cover and deeper roots incorporate more organic carbon into the soil.

That said, this potential is the subject of a legitimate scientific debate that should not be glossed over:

• Permanence: soil carbon can be released again if good management is abandoned, the land is ploughed or a severe drought hits. It is not storage guaranteed in perpetuity.
• Saturation: soils have a limit; additional capture slows as they approach their capacity, so it is not an unlimited sink over time.
• Net balance: the key question is whether the sequestered carbon offsets the methane and other system emissions. The answer depends on context (climate, soil, stocking rate) and should not be taken for granted.

The rigorous stance is to treat methane reduction as the primary objective and carbon sequestration as a valuable but uncertain additional benefit, one that must be measured and verified on each farm, never assumed by default.

How it is measured

Measuring credibly is what separates regenerative livestock farming from a marketing label. In practice several approaches are combined:

• Emission inventories: enteric methane and other emissions are estimated from management data (number of animals, diet, production) and recognised emission factors, such as the IPCC's.
• Soil carbon: measured through periodic sampling and analysis to check how organic carbon evolves over the years.
• Life cycle assessment: to know the carbon footprint of a litre of milk or a kilo of meat, all process emissions are counted, not just methane.

Accounting in the agricultural sector is evolving with specific frameworks. You can read more in our article on the new GHG Protocol standard for the agri sector and CO2 removals, which addresses precisely how to report land emissions and removals consistently.

Frequently asked questions

Does regenerative livestock farming reduce methane emissions?

It can reduce emission intensity (methane per unit of product) through better feeding, genetics and herd management, and in some cases offset part of the emissions with soil carbon sequestration. The net result depends on context and must be measured.

Why is methane so important in livestock farming?

Because ruminants' enteric fermentation is the sector's main source of greenhouse gases and methane has a warming power far higher than CO2, though shorter-lived in the atmosphere: 27 times over 100 years for non-fossil methane, according to the IPCC's sixth assessment report.

Does carbon sequestration offset cattle methane?

Not always. It depends on climate, soil and stocking rate, and is subject to permanence and saturation limits. That is why it must be verified on each farm and not assumed by default.

If you want to separate enteric methane from the other sources and track how it evolves with data, you can calculate the product carbon footprint of your animal-origin products with Manglai.