CH4 Global, CirPro Australia process first cattle to be fed Methane Tamer™ at commercial scale
CH4 Global Inc. and CirPro Australia have announced that the first group of cattle to have been fed commercial quantities of CH4 Global's methane-reducing feed additive, Methane Tamer™, have been processed. Having met all relevant welfare and quality requirements, the reduced-methane beef from these initial animals is destined for the domestic Australian market.
The 70 head of cattle were fed Methane Tamer™ for 100 days at a feedlot in South Australia. By incorporating the seaweed-based additive into the cattle's diet, an estimated 105 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions were avoided. That's equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by over 1,700 tree saplings for 10 years.
"This is a major milestone in our journey to dramatically reduce the climate impact of livestock farming while continuing to provide the nutritious, affordable animal protein that a growing world population depends on," said CH4 Global CEO Steve Meller.
Enteric methane emissions from livestock are a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with methane being over 80 times more effective at trapping heat than CO2 over a 20-year period. CH4 Global's Methane Tamer™ leverages the unique properties of Asparagopsis seaweed to deliver a guaranteed decrease in these emissions of 70% when fed to cattle in small amounts as an additive to their daily rations.
"We have now shown that feeding cattle Methane Tamer™ at a commercial scale improves efficiency and is 100% safe for the animals," said Reg Smyth, CEO of CirPro Australia.
"The cattle that were given the Methane Tamer™ supplement achieved the same weight gain as the control group while consuming less feed per day, representing an improvement in feed conversion efficiency of a few percent over the 100-day period,” Smyth continued.
CH4 Global and CirPro have partnered closely to pioneer a new era of reduced-methane beef production. In January 2024, CH4 Global made its first commercial delivery of Methane Tamer™ to CirPro. The reduced-methane beef resulting from the partnership will initially be sold to retailers in South Australia, with export sales confirmed to commence in September.
"Together with our partners, we are significantly increasing the number of cattle consuming Methane Tamer™ while also establishing the ability to export this reduced-methane beef to meet growing global demand," said CH4 Global's Meller. "This will enable – for the first time – a complete end-to-end supply chain from seaweed cultivation to consumers' plates, without relying on carbon rebates or credits. That's the key to successfully scaling this solution commercially, sustainably, and globally."
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