MLA partners with Agcotech and The University of Sydney to reduce emissions and boost herd profitability

Meat and Livestock Australia has joined forces with carbon offsets business Agcotech and the University of Sydney in a bid to develop pasture supplements with a double whammy of being better for the environment and better for cattle and sheep. The organisations this month unveiled a four-year partnership to create new supplements that directly suppress methane production in livestock while improving breeder condition and weaning rates. The nation’s red meat industry’s goal has a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, meaning Australian beef, lamb and goat production — including lot feeding and meat processing — aim to make no net release of greenhouse gas emissions. The project aims to explore new or existing combinations of methane mitigates combined with patented feed block technology, to try and mitigate methane emissions while improving production on pastures. MLA managing director Jason Strong said MLA would also continue to improve greenhouse gas accounting systems to help red meat businesses demonstrate a carbon neutral or low carbon status at farmgate. “The partnership between Agcotech and the University of Sydney is one example of an investment that aims to bring profitable livestock methane technologies to market through the Emissions Avoidance Partnership,” he said. “This investment will enable grassfed beef producers to demonstrate their environmental credentials and reduce their emissions to access market opportunities and participate in carbon neutral and low carbon supply chains.” The new partnership adds to MLA’s carbon neutrality efforts, with the organisation leading the Environmental Credentials for Australian Grassfed beef project, in a consortium with World Wildlife Fund-Australia and The University of Queensland. Agcotech chair Charles Olsson said it could potentially take the red meat industry to a new level on the international playing field. “Australia has dominated the red meat market with best practice on farm welfare, and now looks forward to repeating performance to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030,” he said. “I fully support this huge goal, and believe with the right motivation, we can shift the red meat industry to even higher levels of production and control methane at the same time to be the envy of the world.” Agcotech already has two products already released into the Australian market, and one product released into Asia. This includes an energy supplement to meet additionality, under the existing beef herd methodology method. It is classified to reduce methane intensity to increase live weight gain during dry seasons, allowing animals to be turned off earlier. It also aims to identify nonperforming breeding cows — allowing them to be shipped off the property earlier. Agcotech’s direct abatement pasture product achieves a modest carbon reduction in methane produced by cattle, mainly for southern regions in Australia, while also improving pasture digestibility. This method allows graziers to participate in a Voluntary Carbon Market, offsetting their emissions against their footprint to begin a pathway to carbon neutrality.