A team from the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology think they have found a solution that can improve water and the wider environment, while potentially improving animal welfare.

They’ve decided to potty-train cows.

On a farm where cows freely graze, the accumulation and spread of their poo and urine often contaminates local soil and waterways.

This can be controlled by keeping cows in barns, but in these close quarters their urine and faeces combine to create ammonia, an indirect greenhouse gas. Not to mention it can be a miserable living arrangement for those poor animals.

In an article published on September 13 in the journal Current Biology, researchers demonstrated that cows can be potty-trained to use specially designed toilets, which means the waste can be collected and treated.

This is not only better reducing pollution of both the air and the waterways, but also creates more animal-friendly farms.

"It's usually assumed that cattle are not capable of controlling defecation or urination," Jan Langbein, an animal psychologist at the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Germany told phys.org.

"Cattle, like many other animals or farm animals are quite clever. Why shouldn't they be able to learn how to use a toilet?"

The team, made of scientists from FBN, the National Institute for Animal Health (FLI) in Germany and the University of Auckland in New Zealand used a process they dubbed MooLoo training.

The cows were given a sweet molasses-based treat as a reward urinating in a special pen, and humane deterrents (a splash of water) were used to discourage them from defecating in the ‘wrong’ place. Over the course of a few weeks, the team successfully trained 11 out of the 16 calves. Their conclusion: potty-training cows is easier than potty training toddlers.

Langbein is optimistic with more training this success rate can be further improved. "In a few years all cows will go to a toilet," he says.

It’s a lesser-known fact that agriculture plays a major role in water pollution. One of the biggest problems is the impact of waste generated by livestock such as cows, which enter our waterways through accidental spillages, flooding or farmers carelessly dumping excess effluent.

The ecological consequences can be severe, with the high levels of nutrients like phosphorus, ammonia and nitrates in urine and manure causing a spread of waterborne pathogens and the growth of harmful algal blooms, which poisons wildlife.