Cattle at a Queensland feedlot were fed red seaweed for 200 days in one of the longest trials of the additive – but experts say it’s not farm-ready
The trial at Kerwee Feedlot involved feeding a commercial Asparagopsis supplement in the form of an infused canola oil over 200 daysThe trial at Kerwee Feedlot involved feeding a commercial Asparagopsis supplement in the form of an infused canola oil over 200 daysIt takes a tasty treat to lure a cow’s head into the narrow channel of a solar-powered contraption mounted to the back of a trailer.
Like the other 19,000 cattle at Kerwee Feedlot, 150km west of Brisbane, the 80 cows in this pen are fed a twice-daily ration of freshly milled wheat and barley. But in the mix there’s an added supplement derived froma species of red seaweed shown in some studies to reduce the methane output of cows. This is one of the longest commercial trials of the additive to date.Globally, methane released by burping livestock, namely cattle, accounts for an estimated 5.5%-5.
Early results from a pen trial in March of a lick block infused with emissions inhibitors, which could be deployed in some paddocks, saw an on-average 12% abatement of methane. Cowley estimates a mix of interventions could yield a 15%-20% methane reduction in Australia’s beef cattle herd by 2030. That would still fall short of theaccording to a global survey of 210 climate and food systems scientistsremains unclear. Marcus Doumany, the chief operating officer of Stockyard Beef, the owner of Kerwee Feedlot, says it is not currently viable to roll out the supplement across all its hundred pens.
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