CATTLE CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE

MBABANE – Cattle are now being blamed for emitting gases that warm the earth, resulting in climate change.

Cows have a huge flatulence problem that is damaging the planet, scientists in the United Kingdom have said.
This evidence was also confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture in Morocco at a press briefing for African journalists held in Rabat, Morocco, which the Times SUNDAY attended.

Flatulence is when the cow expels gas from the guts which builds up when it eats. In human beings, the expulsion of the gas is called farting.
Cow dung and manure also contain the gas, called methane, which is produced by the cattle.

Methane is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, scientists have said. Researchers say people usually experience scarcity of rain just as it is currently occurring in Mbabane; floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters when the heat is trapped in the atmosphere.

About 100 000 people of Mbabane are now accustomed to a four-day waterless life. This is due to the prevailing drought.
Mbabane is located in the Highveld, a place synonymous with abundant rain. The capital city’s source of water, the rain-fed Hawane Dam is gradually degenerating to a dry land.

Meanwhile, the methane-emitting cattle are considered to be precious assets in Swaziland.
A cow is considered the pride of a Swazi man, as it symbolises his wealth and ability to sustain and manage his family. However, new evidence has emerged that cattle are the biggest source of emissions, globally accounting for more than three-quarters of all greenhouse gases produced by livestock such as sheep, pigs and chickens.

Each cow can release between 70 and 120kg of methane per year, according to the scientists. There are currently 700 000 cattle in Swaziland. This effectively means they can emit 49 million kilogrammes of methane per year.
However, Emmanuel Dlamini, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, argued that the number of cattle in Swaziland was comparatively too low to pollute the atmosphere.

He said there were countries that had more cattle and sheep than people. He explained that industries emitted more toxic gases than cattle.  
He said the problem with cattle in Swaziland was their tendency to cause soil erosion.
“This is due to overgrazing,” he explained.

The principal secretary said climate change was mainly caused by smokes from factories in industrialised countries like the USA and China. He argued the majority of greenhouse gases came from burning fossil fuels to produce energy. He highlighted that deforestation, industrial practices and some agricultural practices could also emit gases into the atmosphere.

“Our cattle cannot be blamed for emitting greenhouse gases,” he said.
The principal secretary said cattle caused climate change in countries where they were kept in concentrated houses or shelters.
He said Swazi cattle roamed around grazing areas in groups of twos, threes or fours. He said there were no piles of cow dung on grazing lands because the cattle did not defecate at the same time and did not move in a large group.

As a result, Dlamini said, the methane being produced was too little to be considered harmful to the environment.
He argued further that even the manure at the kraals were not a problem. Moses Vilakati, the Minister of Agriculture, said it was true that cattle emitted the gas but the methane produced was no cause for concern at the moment, particularly in Swaziland.

The minister said he would fly to Morocco this week to attend a Summit for ministers of agriculture in Africa, who have been invited by that country’s government to address the issue of climate change.
Agriculture practices are responsible for around 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
He urged Swazi farmers to feed cattle properly since the beef market was good in Europe.

“Europeans crave our meat. We need to produce more,” the minister urged the farmers.
“Please, urge Swazis not to reduce the number of their cattle because they don’t cause global warming.”
Moses Shongwe, a prominent cattle farmer, said he was not aware that cattle emitted greenhouse gases.
“This is the first time I am hearing this,” he said.

He said he was speaking in his personal capacity as a cattle farmer, not as a representative of the Swaziland Feedlotters Association.
Shongwe said he would not frustrate new discoveries by scientists but would wait for formal advice from government on what to do in case he was being warned against having a large herd of cattle.

He declined to reveal the number of the cattle he had.
Dudu Nhlengethwa-Masina, the Director of the Swaziland Meteorological Services, said climate change was a broad phenomenon.
She said many people contributed it in terms of releasing chemicals, producing more papers which were then disposed off, resulting in the pollution of the environment.

She said it was not just the duty of her office or government to address issues of climate change but everyone should be involved.

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