Agricultural scientists, who have spent a great number of years searching methods as to how to create, pasture plants which possibly will lessen the methane emissions from livestock say that it might be possible to make a clover that will do the job needed.

Scientists from AgResearch and one of its subsidiaries, Grasslanz Technology Ltd., said today that they can create an enhanced cultivar of white clover, so as to give cows and sheep additional protein and at the same time lessen emissions of methane and nitrogen waste, whilst improving animal health.

Almost half of the country's greenhouse gas emissions are produced by agriculture; however, farmers have opposed taking responsibility for their share of emissions on the argument that they do not have a financial means to fight the methane emissions.

AgResearch scientists, Garry Waghorn and Michael Tavendale have formerly shown that thick tannins found in some pasture class, for example lotus, a legume, can unswervingly decrease methane emissions by as much as 16%, and Dr. Tavendale has forecasted that pastures, which contain condensed tannins are probable to become more and more significant to farmers.

Thick tannins are chemical compounds that can attach themselves to and defend protein being crashed in the stomachs of sheep and cattle, but legumes for instance lotus are hard to establish and do not keep increasing in grazed pastures.