JBS has announced a partnership with Royal DSM, a global company specialising in Health, Nutrition & Biosciences, to implement a programme which will help reduce methane emissions from cattle on a global scale. The new agreement was signed at COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow by JBS Global CEO, Gilberto Tomazoni, and Royal DSM Co-CEO, Dimitri de Vreeze.

The new initiative will see JBS use Bovaer^®, a nutritional supplement developed by DSM which is added to animal feed, to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of the beef production value chain, helping to deliver a 90% reduction in enteric methane emissions. Just a quarter of a teaspoon of the additive a day, per animal, inhibits the enzyme that activates the production of methane gas in the stomach of the animal with immediate effect

Commenting on the landmark announcement, Mr. Tomazoni said: “Sustainability is at the core of our business strategy. We are developing a major action plan to reduce the Company’s entire carbon footprint, and this partnership with DSM will contribute not only to our plans but for the whole sector in this complex issue of methane emissions.”

Dimitri de Vreeze, Co-CEO and Member of the Managing Board at Royal DSM added that “DSM is very pleased to work with JBS on Bovaer^®. We can now truly start to create an impact in Brazil, which is exciting news, particularly within the context of COP26, where the importance of fast climate action through reduction of methane emissions is emphasized again. We are looking forward to offering a scientifically proven effective solution to the challenge of methane emissions in farming. The food systems and climate crisis are intrinsically linked and addressing the challenge of sustainable animal farming for a healthy planet is pivotal.”

This initiative is part of JBS’s wider goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. JBS has invested US$1 billion in efforts to decarbonize all its direct and indirect operations and another US$100 million in research to develop solutions to make agriculture more sustainable. To reduce methane in the livestock chain, JBS also works on other initiatives in partnership with the Institute of Animal Science and Pastures of Sao Paulo’s State Department of Agriculture and Food Supply.