Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock - Stage 3: Validation and Demonstration - Round 1

Enteric methane from livestock is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture sector and contributes around 10 per cent of Australia’s total emissions. The uptake and effectiveness of low emission feed supplements will initially be greater in production systems where delivery of feed is more controlled, like in feedlots and dairy farms. As around ninety-five per cent of livestock in Australia are in dispersed grazing systems, overcoming barriers to uptake in these systems would deliver significant potential abatement on a national scale. Voluntary adoption of supplements will be greatest where they can be delivered to grazing animal in a cost-effective way within common management operations and where they demonstrate productivity gains.

Stages 2 and 3 of the MERiL program aim to reduce Australia’s livestock emissions by supporting the development and commercial readiness of technology solutions to deliver low emission feed supplements to grazing animals (beef and dairy cattle, and sheep).

Stage 3 Validation and Demonstration grants aim to validate and demonstrate the technology solution through large-scale trials that incorporate low emission feed supplements. This includes demonstrating the technology’s effectiveness at delivering a reliable dose, identifying any safety concerns, and measuring and validating the productivity (including labour productivity) and emissions impacts under conditions representative of commercial production systems. Trial results and market research will inform a commercialisation plan.

The grant amount will be up to 67 per cent of eligible project expenditure.