Senior nutritionist Ian Sawyer, FeedWorks, urges farmers to choose the feed additives with positive benefits for the stock, farm business, consumer and environment. Image Kim Woods
Livestock producers should not expect big premiums from the market for reduced carbon product any time soon, but increasing pressure to reduce ruminant methane emissions should not see them rush into choosing inappropriate feed additives.
Senior nutritionist Ian Sawyer, Feedworks, Romsey, sits on the advisory committee of the National Sheep Methane Project and was guest speaker at the Pasture Agronomy Service conference at Wagga Wagga on July 1.
Mr Sawyer said the immediate pressure on livestock producers to reduce methane in ruminants was modest, but it would build from within the supply chain.
“We can’t send folks broke reducing methane though. Enteric methane avoidance will be important, as sequestration options won’t make a big dent, and independent certification bodies are likely to be the umpire,” he said.
Mr Sawyer said producers should not expect big premiums from the market for reduced carbon product any time soon.
“Do expect exclusion from the market at some point if you don’t act but not in the short term.
“The big question is will someone pay me to do it. There is nothing from government yet as there is no method in place at the Clean Energy Regulator and Emissions Reduction Fund.
“Independent private projects like Verra pay about $25/tonne for your carbon dioxide equivalent. At current carbon prices, it will only pay to act yourself if you obtain profit from productivity as well as methane reduction.
“In extensive grazing systems, methane is the big greenhouse gas ticket with around 90 per cent of your business carbon output emitted as enteric methane. All else is minor.
“Big methane drops equate to a large hydrogen accumulation in the rumen and large reduction in dry matter intake and animal performance. If we could pull off a 20-30 percent methane abatement, we would have animals remaining productive and do our bit for the environment.”
There are currently two methods approved by government for direct in-feed methane abatement. Neither has been taken up widely at all. The first is adding fat to diets and the second adding nitrates to diets.
“Fat at $3000/tonne is not economic to use for methane abatement and nitrates are toxic. Each one per cent of total dry matter intake we include of nitrates drops methane by about 10 per cent but we risk health issues in the cattle,” Mr Sawyer said.
“An important consideration is we can drop methane by significant amounts, but we cannot be sure it will make more liveweight gain or milk.”
Mr Sawyer said although Australia was the epicentre of seaweed derivative hype, methane reducing additives supported in Federal research grants came down to a short list of broadly three products – Asparagopis seaweed, 3-NOP Bovaer and Agolin.
He said rumen modifier style products such as Agolin change the rumen microbe biome, leading to additional favourable changes in the rumen environment.
“In addition to decreasing methane formation, rumen fermentation modifiers may also improve animal productivity and health such as through increased availability of dietary protein for the animal,” he said.
“It is typically a lower methane drop but it is cheaper, easier to use and results in more production gains; plus it is one daily feed compared to the three hourly dose of the enzyme blocker Asparagopsis seaweed costing over $1/head per day for steers.”
Agolin reduces methane by 10-15 per cent at a low price point of 5c/head per day and pays back in a four per cent increase in meat and milk.
Mr Sawyer said it works well as a total mixed ration and there are no issues with animal health and welfare or food chain safety issues.
Agolin is in use by nearly 2 million head globally and is proven safe and productive.
In EU beef data from the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, 235 bulls were supplemented with Agolin over 10 months and recorded a feed conversion efficiency improvement of 8.2 per cent, weight gain improvement of 5.7 per cent, and a reduction in methane of 20 per cent per unit of liveweight gain.
A Central Queensland University and MLA funded project showed a 15-20 per cent reduction in methane via water delivery to cattle.
“That is exciting news globally and very much a first in the Australian sector. Applications of methane tools and practice will involve a lot more than just looking at the bigger number of methane abatement. There are implications for the stock, farm business, consumer and environment,” Mr Sawyer said.
-Kim Woods