Australian 'super seaweed' supplement to reduce cattle gas emissions wins $1m international prize

By Gabriella Marchant @ abc.net.au

A company commercialising a CSIRO-developed, seaweed feed product, which slashes the amount of greenhouse gases cattle burp and fart into the atmosphere, has won a $1 million international prize for its work reshaping the food system.

Key points:

  • Methane emissions from livestock make up about 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions

  • A CSIRO-developed seaweed product that reduces greenhouse gases produced by cattle has won a $1 million international prize

  • Future Feed says it will use its winnings to help First Nations communities generate income from the product

CSIRO-affiliated company Future Feed said it would use its Food Planet Prize winnings to create an international commercial fund to help First Nations communities generate income from cultivating and selling the seaweed.

According to the science agency, methane emissions from livestock make up around 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and one cow produces on average as much gas emission as one car.

The CSIRO says on its website that methane stays in the atmosphere for about nine years, a far shorter period than carbon dioxide.

However, its global warming potential is "86 times higher than carbon dioxide when averaged over 20 years and 28 times higher over 100 years".

Like taking '100 million cars off the road'

Future Feed director and CSIRO scientist Michael Battaglia said that when added to cattle feed, the product, which contains Australian 'super seaweed' Asparagopsis, virtually eliminated methane from the animals' bodily emissions.

"We know that just a handful [of the product] per animal per day, or 0.2 per cent of their diet can virtually eliminate 99.9 per cent of methane," Dr Battaglia said.

He said the potential for the product to reduce the world's greenhouse gas footprint, if commercialised, was massive.

Continue reading here…