Scientists may be able to figure out an ideal dosage of asparagopsis seaweed to reduce methane emissions on sheep farms, thanks to a new NSW-based study.
The University of New England was recently awarded $500,000 in funding through the federal government Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock program for the program, which is being conducted in partnership with Australian Wool Innovation, with asparagopsis supplied by Sea Forest.
The project aims to discover the best dosage for optimum methane mitigation and how it can be incorporated into a grazing diet.
The study will involve looking at five different dosage levels of asparagopsis and the effects on production.
Lead researcher and senior lecturer in sheep and wool science Emma Doyle said work had begun at UNE's Centre for Animal Research and Teaching to work out the best dosage rate, with grazing trials set to take place on the UNE Smart Farm from September.
The researchers will be collaborating with NSW Department of Primary Industries, South Australian Research and Development Institute and the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries.
"We're all working together to work out different mitigators... asparagopsis isn't the only methane mitigator we can supplement with so we're trialling some other products and different ways to deliver the supplements across those four sites, with the University of New England included," Dr Doyle said.
"The work is still very much in its infancy because we still don't know dose rates for methane mitigation... if we compare it to a feedlot animal then they're getting 98 per cent mitigation, but they're feeding a controlled diet.
"In a grazing situation we don't know what levels we can expect.
"Once we know all that we will have on-farm demonstration sites across the country that will allow us to show at a more real life level what is possible for producers."
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Funding for the UNE project is secured for the next three years.
Dr Doyle said they also wanted to do some long term studies to be able figure out how supplementation might factor into lambing and how to best continuously feed asparagopsis in grazing environments.
"We're getting more and more people in this space of research, which is great because it's obviously going to be ongoing as things develop," she said.
"Coming out of the cattle industry, the effects on production are quite positive with feed conversion and productivity but we don't know any of that yet for the sheep industry."
Dr Doyle said within the next few years researchers would also look at how long it might take sheep producers with lower methane emissions to reap the financial benefit.
"There's probably been more buzz in the wool side of things than in sheep meat... the wool product itself is a beautiful, natural product but having these other sustainability credentials makes it even better," she said.
"The ag industry is really stepping up when it comes to methane solutions... it's probably a sign other industries need to do the same to reduce their footprint."
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