Guidelines released for livestock methane emissions reduction grants worth up to $3 million

Grant guidelines have been released for the next funding round of the Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock (MERiL) program.

Between $1 million and $3 million is available per project under “Stage 3: Validation and Demonstration Round 2” of MERiL, with applications open from February 7 until March 20. Grants can cover up to 80 per cent of project costs.

“Around 95% of Australia’s beef cattle, dairy cows, and sheep graze over large areas and have limited contact with farmers,” reads a statement from the federal department of environment on Monday.

“This presents challenges for the uptake of methane-reducing solutions such as feed supplements. Stage 3 of MERiL aims to address this problem by supporting the development of cost-effective feed supplement delivery technologies and other solutions.”

Ruminant livestock – such as sheep, cows and goats – are a major source of greenhouse gases. An estimated 70 per cent of agricultural methane come from the guts of these animals in the form of burps and farts.

The program has so far supported projects involving methane-reducing feed supplement research, feasibility studies, and later-stage development. $15 million in grants have been allocated so far, with the current round worth up to $9 million.

More information on eligible projects and companies can be found at this link.

Picture: credit CSIRO

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