Australia commits more money to find an answer to livestock's methane muddle

Livestock groups are alarmed by the pace at which climate change targets are being set without their particular problem being fixed.

New Zealand's recent move to tax the methane emissions of farm animals has caused further disquiet.

While the Australian government has dismissed that move as unworkable, it has agreed to sign a global pledge to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

It is also funding agricultural groups to help find a cure to their industry's problems, and quickly.

Global scientists say cattle produce between 100-60kg of methane per year and sheep about 13kg.

There are 66 million sheep in Australia and around 26 million cattle so in the methane stakes, both are pretty much as "bad" as each other.

But even the scientists argue about methane's contribution to greenhouse gases.

Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide all reached record highs in 2021, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization.

WMO's Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reported the biggest year-on-year jump in methane concentrations in 2021 since systematic measurements began nearly 40 years ago.

The reason for this exceptional increase is not clear, but seems to be a result of both biological and human-induced processes.

"There are cost-effective strategies available to tackle methane emissions, especially from the fossil fuel sector, and we should implement these without delay," WMO secretary-general Prof. Petteri Taalas said.

"However, methane has a relatively short lifetime of less than 10 years and so its impact on climate is reversible.

"As the top and most urgent priority, we have to slash carbon dioxide emissions ... the main driver of climate change."

The WMO said the causes for the methane rise are still being investigated by the global greenhouse gas science community.

"Analysis indicates that the largest contribution to the renewed increase in methane since 2007 comes from biogenic sources, such as wetlands or rice paddies."

Scientists also said the extended La Nina "might well have contributed to the recent record increases" in methane.

But ruminant animals have long been in the gun.

Like the beef industry, Australia's sheep and wool industry is pinning much of its hopes on feed supplements like the red seaweed Asparagopsis.

Encouraging trials have shown that adding minute amounts of asparagopsis to an animal's diet can reduce methane emissions by up to 98 per cent.

But how to get enough of the stuff, and how to feed it to their animals and at a reasonable price remain shifting targets?

Graziers want guarantees the product won't harm their animals as well, or impact their meat quality or their wool.

MORE READING: AWI to invest $10.5m into shearing.

Australian Wool Innovation is partnering with the government on three new projects to tackle the methane problem.

Taxpayers will provide $1.5 million with a $400,000 contribution from wool growers through AWI and $128,461 from other "collaborators" to total more than $2.3 million.

AWI's program manager (fibre advocacy and eco credentials) Angus Ireland said the three projects are part of a broader strategy by AWI in collaboration with other industry bodies "to accurately identify and assess ways to reduce and offset greenhouse gas emissions from sheep".

"We invest in sound, scientific solutions to help secure wool's market position as a natural, circular and regenerative solution to many impacts of fast fashion," Mr Ireland said.

AWI research has identified methane-mitigating feed supplements for grazing sheep as having significant potential to reduce the carbon footprint of wool within the next 10 years.

It is a priority area for investment.

The three new projects:

1 Adapt and evaluate a range of methane-reducing feed additives to grazing sheep as a feed additive or via drinking water (in collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, the University of Western Australia, DIT Agtech, Rumin8 and Feedworks).

2 Evaluate the feasibility of using radio frequency identification technologies to improve methane-reduction supplement design and delivery in conjunction with common delivery systems such as lick feeders (in collaboration with the NSW Department of Regional NSW).

3 Develop a novel paddock solution to deliver methane-reducing supplements to grazing sheep (in collaboration with the University of New England with Feedworks).

The university is trying to breed low-emission livestock.

It is also trying to develop tools to accurately measure the amount of methane released from grazing sheep and cattle.

MORE READING: Medicated molasses blocks reducing methane emissions.

UNE's Professor Julius van der Werf and Associate Professor Sam Clark will lead two projects looking at the genetic improvement of sheep and cattle, and if successful, Australian producers will have access to DNA-based breeding information that will lead to more methane-efficient livestock.

"These projects could result in a 25pc reduction in methane emissions from Australian livestock by 2050," Professor van der Werf said..

"While genetic improvement in reducing methane emissions is slow, the results are cumulative and the project expects to reduce methane emissions by one percent per head per year."

Over the next five years, they'll measure the methane output of 8000 cattle and 10,000 sheep living in both feedlot and grazing conditions.