How will EU regulations on methane emissions affect cattle breeding?

How will EU regulations on methane emissions affect cattle breeding?

• Julia Borowczyk
• January 8, 2026

Why is methane in the spotlight of the European Union?

Methane is one of the greenhouse gases which - according to data from European Environment Agency - has a very strong impact on global warming. In the European Union, agriculture is responsible for a significant part of methane emissions, with the main source being rumen fermentation in cattle. That is why methane has become one of the priorities of the EU's climate policy. The EU has recognized that reducing methane emissions can bring quick climate effects, without the need to reduce food production.

EU Methane Action Plan - what does it mean for farmers?

In 2023, The European Commission published the EU Methane Action Plan, which clearly identifies agriculture - including cattle breeding - as a sector requiring action. The document does not yet introduce direct bans, but it sets the direction for changes.

The plan assumes, among others:

• better monitoring of methane emissions,
• promotion of emission-reducing practices,
• development of tools and technologies to support farmers.

For breeders, this means one thing: herd nutrition and management will be increasingly assessed in terms of emissions, not just efficiency.

The new IED 2.0 directive - who may it cover?

The Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive (IED 2.0) project arouses great emotions. The European Commission proposes to extend the regulations on industrial emissions also to large breeding farms.

According to the Commission:

• the regulations will apply mainly to the largest farms,
• obligations to report emissions will be possible,
• the emphasis will be on the use of the so-called best available practices.

It is important that small and medium-sized farms are not a direct target of regulations, but may also feel the changes indirectly - e.g. through market requirements, support programs or new nutrition standards.

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What does the European Parliament say and why is it still an open topic?

As reports from the European Parliament show, the draft regulation is being intensively discussed. MEPs are submitting amendments regarding:

• farm size thresholds,
• pace of introducing regulations,
• scope of obligations for farmers.

This means that the final shape of the regulations may still change, but the direction is already clearly set: methane emissions in cattle breeding will be increasingly monitored.

How are methane emissions related to cattle feeding?

EEA data and initiatives such as Methane Matters clearly show that the largest part of methane in cattle breeding comes from digestive processes, i.e. directly from how and what the animals are fed.

This means that in terms of nutrition, the key areas are:

• improving feed efficiency,
• reducing ingredient losses. food,
• stable fermentation in the rumen.

The European Union is increasingly showing that changes in nutrition are the preferred way to reduce emissions, rather than administrative production restrictions.

Feed additives and feeding practices - what does the EU promote?

The EU CAP Network materials point to feed additives and nutritional strategies that can reduce methane emissions. This includes: o solutions tested and evaluated in EU projects, not on experimental methods.

In practice, this means that:

• nutrition will be increasingly analyzed in terms of effectiveness,
• documentation and control of doses will play a greater role,
• farms that manage feed better can more easily adapt to new requirements.

Why will dose control become increasingly important?

If regulations move towards reporting and assessing practices, the key will be what actually goes into the trough, not just what is written in the recipe.

This is where the role of tools such as application Smart Feed, which helps:

• maintain the consistency of feeding,
• reduce losses,
• calculate methane emissions,
• better control the implementation of the dose in practice.

In the context of climate regulations, precise feeding becomes a real advantage of the farm.

Will the regulations affect the profitability of milk production?

Market reports (including Rabobank and OECD-FAO) show that the milk market may be unstable in the coming years. In such an environment, reducing feed losses and improving feeding efficiency become more important than ever.

If the farm is able to:

• produce milk with less feed consumption,
• better control costs,
• adapt to new requirements,

then climate regulations do not have to mean a threat, but can become an impulse to improve the organization of production.

EU regulations on methane emissions do not mean immediate bans or elimination of cattle breeding. However, they mean an increasing emphasis on efficiency, control and responsible nutrition. For many farms, it will be crucial to prepare in advance - through better feed management, reducing losses and greater precision in everyday work. This is where EU policy is heading.

If you want to stay up to date with how regulations, market and nutrition affect the profitability of milk production, follow our Facebook and regularly read the Smart blog Feed - there we explain these changes in simple language and without scaring!

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