After years of research and development, scientists and farmers are now working together to reduce methane emissions from dairy cattle with seaweed supplements. According to the CSIRO, if just 10% of the livestock industry took this up, it would produce the same positive environmental effect as removing 100 million cars from the road.

The Narungga Nation’s traditional lands in South Australia are set to become a world-leading aquaculture farm for a seaweed that can reduce cattle’s methane output by up to 99 per cent. The seaweed in question is a red algae called Asparagopsis taxiformis and it’s cool water relative Asparagopsis armata.

Preliminary results from the latest study that Kebreab co-authored on the algae found that it reduces intestinal methane production in beef steers by more than 80% when added to their feed. Other research found reductions of up to 98%, without adverse effects on the cows’ weight or the quality of beef produced.

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.