Livestock supplement specialist CH4 Global opens world-first asparagopsis farm

Livestock feed supplement maker CH4 Global has begun what it says is the world’s first example commercial-scale production of the seaweed asparagopsis, formally opening the first stage of its Louth Bay, South Australia EcoPark this week.

The company shared on Wednesday that it has ten large-scale cultivation ponds growing the red seaweed – which can reduce methane emissions from ruminant animals when added to their feed – and the capacity to produce over 80 metric tons of the plant annually.

Asparagopsis contains a compound that acts on gut enzymes in the last stomach of cows, reducing methane emissions from burps and farts. CH4 says its product can reduce such greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent in cows.

The company said that it would be able to cut production costs to a tenth versus “conventional tank-based methods”, and was set to profitably deliver its Methane Tamer brand feed supplement.

“The opening of this facility lays to rest any doubt about whether Asparagopsis production can be scaled to meet commercial demand,” said Global CEO and co-founder Dr Steve Meller at the launch.

“We’ve cracked the code on making methane-reducing feed supplements commercially viable without requiring government subsidies – a crucial step in scaling this important climate solution.”

Meller’s company has ambitions to scale up to 100 ponds in operation over the next year, sufficient to feed “over 45,000 cattle per day”, and potentially as many as 500 ponds coming online, pending additional investment.

CH4 is a Nevada, US-based company with subsidiaries in New Zealand and Australia, using IP on asparagopsis based on years of applied R&D by James Cook University, the CSIRO and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA.) 

Picture: credit Business Wire/CH4 Global

Further reading

Seaweed genome research promises better compound discovery for health, environmental purposes

CH4, Siemens sign tech agreement to digitalise production of methane-minimising seaweed extract

Asparagopsis era begins with first commercial sale by CH4