Gene‑Edited Feed Cuts Cow Methane

UK regulators have approved trials of barley altered by two single‑letter DNA edits that boost lipid content and are claimed to reduce bovine methane by up to ~15%; the same edits are being adapted for ryegrass so entire pastures could be lipid‑rich and grazed directly. The changes involve switching off two genes (no foreign genes added), and researchers frame the approach as both an emissions reduction and a way to fatten animals faster for market. — This creates a novel policy and ethical fault line: gene editing can be deployed in feed/forage to lower greenhouse‑gas intensity and raise productivity, challenging existing GMO regulation, consumer labeling, and climate‑agriculture tradeoffs.