Formation and Impact of Enteric Methane
Enteric methane is a large contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in livestock production. Produced naturally during the digestive process of ruminant animals, understanding how enteric methane is formed and its role in greenhouse gas emissions is key to identifying effective mitigation strategies. This fact sheet explains how enteric methane is produced, why it matters, and the science-based strategies available to help reduce emissions.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture supported the development of this fact sheet.
Key Scientific Literature:
Arndt, C., Hristov, A. N., Price, W. J., McClelland, S. C., Pelaez, A. M., Cueva, S. F., Oh, J., Dijkstra, A., Bannink, A., Bayat A. R., Crompton, L. A., Eugène, M. A., Enahoro, D., Kebreab, E. Kreuzer, M., McGee, M., Martin, C., Newbold, C. J., Reynolds, C. K., Schwarm, A., Shingfield, K. J., Veneman, J. B., Yáñez-Ruiz, D. R., & Yu, Z. (2022). Full adoption of the most effective strategies to mitigate methane emissions by ruminants can help meet the 1.5 C target by 2030 but not 2050. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(20), e2111294119.
Beauchemin, K.A., Ungerfeld, E.M., Eckard, R.J., Wang, M. (2020). Review: Fifty years of research on rumen methanogenesis: lessons learned and future challenges for mitigation, Animal, 14(s2-s16).
IPCC (2021). Chapter 4: Atmospheric Chemistry and Greenhouse Gases. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, AR6.
EPA (2024a). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 430R-24004.
EPA (2024b). Methodology Report: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks by State: 1990 – 2022. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/methodology-report-inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-state-1990-2022
USDA-NASS (2025) Quick Stats. Available at: https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/results/90D1C82D-30CF-3796-8707-3E022D105106