The newly approved methodology recognises the use of specific feed additives in cattle diets to reduce methane emissions from enteric fermentation, specifically methane released through cattle burps.
“The newly approved methodology under the J-Credit scheme involves feeding cattle with feed containing additives that have been recognised as effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These additives suppress the activity of microorganisms in the cattle digestive system that produce methane, thereby reducing methane emissions from cattle burps.”
The addition forms part of MAFF’s broader efforts to advance the Green Food System Strategy, which aims to decarbonise Japan’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors.
The new methodology
The approved methodology enables cattle producers to earn credits by feeding cattle with feed containing designated additives that have been verified as effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
These additives act by suppressing the activity of methanogenic microorganisms in the rumen, thereby lowering methane generation during digestion.
Under Japan’s Act on Safety Assurance and Quality Improvement of Feeds (Act No. 35 of 1953), Cashew nut shell liquid and 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) are the two substances that have been designated as GHG reduction agents and are eligible under the methodology.
The methodology was approved at the 41st J-Credit Scheme Steering Committee meeting held on December 18, 2025.
The J-Credit scheme enables the Japanese government to certify GHG reductions and removals as tradable credits.
By quantifying and formally recognising reductions achieved by farmers, foresters and fishers, the scheme provides both transparency and a potential revenue stream through credit sales.
Expanding ways to reduce GHGs
With this addition, the total number of agricultural methodologies under the J-Credit scheme has increased to seven.
The existing six methodologies were feeding livestock with amino acid-balanced feed; changing livestock manure management methods; applying compound fertilisers containing nitrification inhibitors, including calcium cyanamide, to tea plantation soils; applying biochar to farmland; extending mid-season drainage periods in paddy rice cultivation; and feeding beef cattle with bypass amino acids.
The inclusion of enteric methane reduction represents a further diversification of mitigation approaches within the agricultural portfolio, spanning soil management, nutrient management, manure handling and now digestive emissions control.
Livestock production accounts for a substantial share of methane emissions, one of the most powerful greenhouse gases.
According to the National Agriculture and Food Research Organisation (NARO), gastrointestinal methane is the second largest source of methane gas emissions after rice cultivation across Japan’s agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries.
It is said to account for approximately 5% of total global GHG emissions.
The move expands market-based climate mechanisms into a sector widely regarded as more structurally challenging to decarbonise than crop production.
Methane-cutting feed additive in the market
On February 9, Kanematsu Corporation, Shikishima Farm and dsm-firmenich partnered to conduct a feeding trial of the methane-reducing additive Bovaer in Japanese Black Wagyu cattle.
The initiative aims to curb methane emissions from cattle burps and reduce the environmental footprint of the beef supply chain.
Bovaer first received market approval for use with dairy and beef cattle in Japan in 2024.
It claimed to reduce gastrointestinal methane emissions by an average of 30% in dairy cows and 45% in beef cattle.
Kanematsu and dsm-firmenich signed a collaboration agreement in July 2025 in anticipation of MAFF’s approval of the new methodology.
