August 24, 2020

FutureFeed to commercialise livestock feed that reduces cattle methane emissions
 

CSIRO, Australia's national science agency announced the creation of FutureFeed Pty Ltd, which will commercialise a cattle feed that can reduce methane emissions from beef and dairy cattle.
 

The new cattle feed is made using the Asparagopsis seaweed, which has shown in research trials in Australia and United States to reduce methane emissions in cattle by more than 80%.
 

CSIRO, as well as AGP Sustainable Real Assets-Sparklabs Cultiv8 Joint Venture, GrainCorp, Harvest Road, Woolworths have invested AUD 13 million (~US$9.3 million; AUD 1 = US$0.72) into FutureFeed.
 

Karen Andrews, Australia's Minister for Industry, Science and Technology said the Australian-backed company has the potential to develop a new industry and open job opportunities in the country's agriculture industry.
 

FutureFeed will create a full value chain for the livestock feed supplement, which includes seaweed cultivation and production, as well as processing and feed manufacturing with the aim of supplying the world's beef and dairy sectors.
 

FutureFeed projects commercial volume supplies of the feed to be rolled out into the domestic Australian beef and dairy sectors by the middle of next year, followed by global markets.
 

According to the five-year research by CSIRO, Meat & Livestock Australia and James Cook University, Asparagopsis can lower cattle's methane emissions and boost productivity when added as a feed supplement.
 

Dr. Larry Marshall, CSIRO chief executive said the newly formed company could turnaround the bad public assessment of the cattle industry and provide domestic farmers with an edge internationally as the first adopters of this Australian product.
 

CSIRO explains its ownership in FutureFeed as a way to earn equity, which will be channeled towards future research.
 

Scientists at CSIRO said if 10% of the world's beef feedlots and dairy industries adopted FutureFeed's new feed additive, methane emissions will be reduced by about 120 megatonnes annually. This is as much as taking away 50 million cars from roads per year.
 

FutureFeed will look into greenhouse gas abatement payment options for producers that use the new feed supplement.
 

-      CSIRO