Dancing with Daffodils 

Unlocking environmental and economic benefits for the dairy sector through the use of novel additives from a scalable daffodil opportunity. 

The challenge 

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ruminants represents a major challenge to the UK farming industry, with agriculture accounting for 12%¹ of total GHG emissions and 49%² of total UK methane emissions in 2022. With regulatory and industry pushes to reduce GHGs and methane output, solutions are therefore urgent. 

There are a number of different strategies to reduce methane emissions, including nutritional strategies, animal genetics, and whole-farm systematic approaches through improved stock productivity. Of the nutritional solutions, results can be inconsistent and have yet to tackle the associated issues such as improving the efficiency of protein utilisation. 

The answer in daffodils 

This innovative new project will research, test and develop a solution using a novel additive extracted from daffodils that could not only be capable of decreasing ruminant methane emissions, but also improve protein utilisation – bringing environmental and economic benefits to the sector. 

Led by high-quality feed specialists Rumenco, with support from bioresearchers Agroceutical and a consortium of experts, growers and researchers, the project will work to identify the opportunity that exists to help tackle this huge GHG issue for UK dairy farmers.  

The consortium allows different unique skills to come together, including SRUC’s ability to measure methane from individual cows, the development of a farm-based methane measurement device, daffodil producers and extraction specialists, and the UK Agri-Tech Centre to ensure knowledge exchange for the sector. 

Project scope 

This project started in June 2023 with a focus on the extraction and analysis of an alkaloid compound from daffodils. Preliminary work has shown this compound to potentially reduce rumen methane production along with improving feed protein usage efficiency. 

The key objectives are to develop a unique, innovative product that increases efficiency and sustainability of ruminant meat and milk, whilst also reducing the carbon footprint and protein-imports in the supply chain. This will involve preparing and testing the use of the additive in ruminant feed, including optimal dosage to maximise potential. 

The project will also identify and assess the opportunity for scaling of daffodil growth as a cash crop in the UK to meet the potential demand that could result from successful demonstration of the additive. As part of the work, the project will therefore consider the potential for a local, sustainable and resilient daffodil growing sector across the UK. 

It’s all part of creating a more efficient food system, explains Kevin Stephens, Founder and Director at Agroceutical:

“A significant proportion of agricultural land is not suitable for growing food crops and therefore we need to use ruminant livestock to convert the grass into something the increasing human population can consume. Changing the amount of food animals require and the volume of emissions they produce is a significant challenge, but one we really hope the daffodil can help tackle. “

“As the project progresses, we are also keen to continue to develop the extraction and processing methods, to create a more efficient system that can be scaled up. Traditionally, these kinds of chemical processes have relied on ‘throwing power at it to make it work’, but we want to reinvent the scientific methods to work with nature more effectively to deliver the results we need.” 

Since inception, the project has initially been focused on optimising extraction techniques and the analysis of the additive’s potential. With work completing on these tasks and initial results being reviewed, attention is now turning to the preparation stage for how the additive can be effectively introduced to ruminant food. 

What’s next? 

As the project progresses, work will focus on demonstrating the key benefits of the opportunity for a variety of stakeholders, including daffodil growers, ruminant farmers, feed manufacturers, and the dairy sector more widely. 

The partners aim to showcase real-world data around the additive’s effectiveness on protein utilisation, whilst also targeting the wider problem of the environmental impact of dairy farming, through the reduction in methane production. 

Achieving these results will then aid communication and engagement efforts that will be key to the wider uptake and commercialisation plans of the project partners. As Alison Bond, Technical Services Manager at Rumenco, explains, this is part of the aim to put the UK in a leading global position:

“The UK benefits from the perfect climate for daffodil growth, and faces limited international competition from countries with the same conditions. Success in this project will be a valuable step towards creating an international market and supply chain for these additives and food products. With governments seemingly destined to incentivise and support low-methane farming systems due to environmental pressures, the benefits of a UK-led solution will be substantial. “

“The funding has been vital in giving us the platform to take the concept forward and back our efforts to bring novel science into the food sector. Furthermore, having access to a wider group of experts in Defra and Innovate UK not only helps keep the project on track with our aims, but also supports other areas of networking and regulatory guidance as we progress.”