FAO report outlines sustainable ways to deal with livestock methane emissions 

Improving feed efficiency increases animal productivity per unit of feed, may increase farm profitability

Stray cattle menace: UP farmers refuse to diversify crops over depredation

Abandoned cows prefer new, different crops but losses equally distributed if everyone plants sugarcane, say farmers

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (July 12, 2023)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal  

State of Agriculture: Milk Inflation

Milk price in India has scaled rapidly in recent months on the back of unprecedented fodder prices and lumpy disease outbreaks in cattle. This …

17 million missing: Climate change, government policies could deal lethal blow to Indian dairy sector

In India, dairy is a source of sustenance for millions of small-scale and marginal farmers and consumers. Any decision on it should be scientific

17 million missing: Why was there a fat problem in India’s dairy industry?

Indian dairy farmers now prefer exotic or crossbred cows to indigenous cattle, buffaloes; a crossbred cow has a high milk yield compared to a …

First case of Lumpy Skin Disease documented in Cambodian wild bovids: Study

A male banteng or wild cattle was discovered with signs of the disease in September 2021 and died soon after; case highlights danger to wild …

Centre withdraws proposed livestock bill amid criticism

The proposed bill will open floodgates for an unregulated import and export of animals and also spoil the gene pool of native animals, say activists

Loss and grief at 14,000 feet: A shepherd’s fight to save his dying flock

The sheer number of migratory sheep & goats reaching Lahaul-Spiti from Chamba demands an allocation of sufficient vaccinations, medicines …

Lumpy skin disease: Indian vaccine awaiting approval for 10 months even as more cattle fall prey

From January 2022 to May 2023, 165,000 cattle died

17 million missing: A DTE analysis sheds light on why India was dealing with milk inflation

India has missed as many as 16.84 million artificial inseminations of cattle and buffaloes during the two years of COVID-19 pandemic. This is …

Only the Gir indigenous cow breed is being promoted under Rashtriya Gokul Mission; here is why

Gir is a hardy, adaptable breed with high milk yield and calm disposition; experts however say genetically superior cows should be identified and …

Texas fires: With over 1 million acres of grassland burned, cattle ranchers face struggles ahead to find and feed their herds

A combination of high temperature, strong winds, low humidity and invasive species made the fires spread fast and harder to control 

Homegrown benefit: Why ‘desi’ should be the catchword for India’s dairy sector

A shift from exotic and crossbred cattle to indigenous breeds that are better adapted to changing climate and resistant to diseases will help the …

Interest in indigenous cattle breeds like the Pulikulam is reviving: Karthikeya Sivasenapathy

Down To Earth speaks to the head of the environment wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam about the Pulikulam cattle breed of Tamil Nadu

First yak domesticated 2,500 years ago near the Brahmaputra in Tibet, not far from Indian border: Study

Not only did humans in Bangga domesticate yaks, they also domesticated cattle and created hybrid offsprings by crossing the two

AMR Awareness Week: Natural livestock farming effective bottom-up approach to reduce antibiotic use in dairy sector

Crisis with AMR obliges dairy sector to look beyond maximising cattle productivity and focus on both milk quantity, quality

COP28: Rich countries must commit more climate finance for adaptation of African livestock sector, say experts

Investments necessary to sustain fastest-growing population on planet, write African leaders, scientists and experts

Climate-friendly beef? Argentina’s new certification could help reduce livestock emissions — if it’s done right

Certification will only work if consumers are willing to pay a higher price for carbon-neutral, or even just climate-friendly, meat and dairy products

Scrambling in the dark: Study shows animals forced to be more active from dusk to dawn to escape human disturbance

Most species studied exhibited reduced activity in conservancies during daytime, with increased activity at dusk, night, dawn  

Zakariyapura — India’s climate-smart model village for biogas production & utilisation

The village has created a sustainable biogas network that not only helps women financially but also reduces their burden of household work

Africa now emits as much carbon as it stores: Landmark study

Anthropogenic sources increased to neutralise sequestration gains; here's what can be done to reverse the trend

Criollo: This breed of cattle developed in the New World can withstand climate change, say Irish scientists

Descended from Iberian cattle brought by Spanish colonists to the Americas, the Criollo has a myriad of climate-adaptive traits

Bird flu has been circulating among cows in US for months: Genome study reveals multiple mutations

Genomic analysis shows occasional jumping back of virus from infected cows to birds and cats, suggesting multi-host outbreak