Queensland startup advances cattle methane supplement commercialisation

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Highlights

Provectus Algae received Queensland government funding to commercialise a cattle supplement reducing methane emissions by about 65 per cent using red algae alternatives.
The company completed safety tests with over 3,000 cattle and demonstrated the additive does not leave residue or harm digestive health across the supply chain.
Industry adoption hinges on product cost dropping below 10 cents an animal per day for carbon credit viability, impacting Queensland’s A$14 billion cattle sector.

Grant backs scale-up in Noosa

As reported by ABC News, Provectus Algae has developed a granular and liquid supplement for cattle that it says reduces methane emissions from cow burps by about 65 per cent, with the new Queensland government funding aimed at helping commercialise the product.

The Noosaville-based company, founded eight years ago, is producing red algae in self-cleaning tanks at an industrial site near Noosa. Its work builds on the CSIRO's 2011 discovery that native Asparagopsis seaweed can significantly reduce methane emissions from livestock, but Provectus Algae says it has replaced the native seaweed with other algae and photosynthetic microbes to recreate the same processes.

Chief executive Nusqe Spanton says the result is a bioidentical product that mimics the key constituents found in Asparagopsis. He says the company has completed extensive safety testing, found no residue within the animal and shown the additive is safe across the animal supply chain.

Cost and adoption remain central issues

The company has run pilot trials with more than 3,000 cattle, including at Mort and Co feedlots on Queensland's Darling Downs, and is targeting feedlot, pastoral and dairy applications. Spanton says the additive works by targeting microbes in the guts of ruminant animals without affecting the broader digestive microbes needed for growth and health.

A 2024 Murdoch University study found cattle avoided feed with higher Asparagopsis concentrations and identified evidence of ulceration and inflammation in cows' stomachs, highlighting the challenge for methane-reduction products seeking broad industry uptake. The CSIRO estimates ruminant animals, including cows, sheep and goats, account for more than 10 per cent of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions.

Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett says the state holds half the national cattle herd, worth more than A$14 billion to the Queensland economy. Professor Eckard says the industry needs either major productivity gains or very low-cost additives, with supplement costs needing to fall below 10 cents an animal per day to make carbon credit returns viable, while producers may also seek premiums from restaurants and retailers for low-emission food.

As we noted earlier, Canada launched the AVOID-Methane initiative at COP31 to link domestic methane-cutting firms with global partners.

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