Low emissions livestock grant program

The Tasmanian Government has awarded $4 million to TasFarmers to lead a commercial-scale trial of feed suppliements to reduce emissions from livestock. The trial will demonstrate the commercial viability of the supplements to support broader uptake across the state.

The trial is being delivered in collaboration with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), Fonterra, Annandale Dairy Farm, Sea Forest and AEON Tasmanian feedlot.

The project will introduce Sea Forest’s Asparagopsis seaweed feed supplements to approximately 24,000 head of livestock, across both dairy and beef, to reduce an estimated 16,350 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over three years.

Importantly, the project will also include education and awareness activities and the development of tools and resources for livestock producers to support them to adopt low emissions technologies on their farms. The data and learnings from the trial will be used to develop the resources.

The trial is funded through the Tasmanian Government’s $4 million Low Emissions Livestock Grant Program, with co-investment from the project partners. The Grant Program was a commitment in Tasmania’s Climate Change Action Plan 2023‑25 and was open for applications from December 2023 – February 2024.

We will provide updates on the trial through the Climate Change Office newsletter

Why grants for livestock?

Emissions from livestock currently account for one quarter of Tasmania’s total greenhouse gas emissions (excluding the land use, land use change and forestry sector).

Research (PDF 3.2 MB) commissioned by the Tasmanian Government shows that lowering methane emissions from livestock has the largest potential to reduce emissions of all current opportunities for Tasmania. We can reduce these emissions by using feed supplements that reduce the methane emitted as part of the normal livestock digestive process. This process is known as enteric fermentation.

Reducing emissions from livestock is likely to play a key role in ensuring Tasmania maintains, or improves, its net zero emissions status through to 2030 and beyond. Research supported by the Tasmanian Government also indicates that certain feed supplements may increase the productivity of livestock, making this an important opportunity for our agriculture sector.