Methane-busting seaweed stockfeed gets backers

Asparagopsis seaweed has been shown to reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle by more than 80 per cent in research trials, without compromising profitability.

CSIRO scientists estimate that if the feed additive were to be adopted by 10pc of beef feedlots and dairy industries globally, it could reduce livestock industry greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 120 megatonnes per year, equivalent to taking around 50 million cars off the road for a year.

CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said FutureFeed managed to reduce the emissions but not profits.

"FutureFeed enables agriculture and the environment to be partners not competitors, helps overcome negative perceptions of the cattle industry, and gives Australian farmers an advantage in the global marketplace as first adopters of this Aussie innovation," Dr Marshall said.

"FutureFeed is addressing some of the greatest challenges we face, including food security, sustainable production and climate change, by turning science into a real product in the hands of business so they can turn it into jobs and economic growth."

The newly-formed FutureFeed Pty Ltd will commercialise the research in the form of a stockfeed additive and plans to manage the entire process from seaweed cultivation through to feed manufacture.

Its five investors are AGP Sustainable Real Assets-Sparklabs Cultiv8 Joint Venture, GrainCorp, Harvest Road, Woolworths and CSIRO.

The company expects to see commercial volumes of the feed additive supplied into the Australian beef and dairy market midway through next year, with international markets to follow.

The company will be exploring market options for greenhouse gas abatement payments for livestock producers that adopt the supplement.

The supplement has been developed and trialled over more than five years by CSIRO in collaboration with Meat & Livestock Australia and James Cook University.

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