eFeed Launches VetVantage for Dairy Methane Reduction

New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Animal nutrition technology company eFeed on Friday launched VetVantage, an AI-powered platform to help dairy companies measure and reduce methane emissions from cattle while earning carbon credits.

The software-as-a-service (SaaS) tool, MethaneTracker 2.0, uses artificial intelligence, animal nutrition data and satellite imagery to estimate a dairy firm's emissions from cattle, which account for a major share of its carbon footprint.

Accurate measurement of emissions is key for dairies to participate in carbon credit markets and get paid for reducing greenhouse gases, the company said in a statement.

Methane is the second biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. The livestock sector accounts for over 14 per cent of all greenhouse gases from human activities, according to the United Nations.

Here's how VetVantage works: Dairies upload data on the location of farms, cattle numbers and feed details. The platform estimates their total emissions and then suggests ways to tweak feed mixes and practices to cut methane output. Once cuts of 1,000 kg of emissions are achieved, the dairy can apply for carbon credits. The generated credits can then be sold on eFeed's marketplace.

Indian dairy firms have been keen to tout their environmental efforts as they cash in on rising demand for plant-based dairy alternatives amid growing climate concerns.

The world's biggest dairy-producing nation, India trails only the United States and European Union in total greenhouse gas emissions from the sector, eFeed said.