Algae can cut methane emissions from cattle
Researchers are testing seaweed compounds as a feed additive, but large-scale use still faces technical and economic uncertainties.
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Australian research shows that a substance from red seaweed can reduce methane emissions from cattle. The results are promising, but trial outcomes do not automatically offer a solution for all livestock farms.
The substance studied is bromoform, derived from the red seaweed Asparagopsis. Researchers at the University of Adelaide tested an extract in an extensive livestock system with Angus cattle that were pregnant or lactating. The university reports that the treatment sharply reduced methane emissions without harmful effects on calves in this study.
Methane is produced during the digestion of ruminants and, despite having a shorter atmospheric lifetime than carbon dioxide, contributes significantly to warming. The Australian government therefore identifies feed additives as one route to reducing agricultural emissions. In trials under different conditions, the measured reductions varied widely.
That range is important. Under controlled conditions, some additives can show very high reductions, while effects in grazing dairy herds may be lower. The result depends, among other things, on the dosage, the type of livestock, the diet, the duration of administration and whether the animals receive the feed every day.
For farmers, the latter is a practical problem. Seaweed or an extract must be affordable, safe and reliably available. In housed systems, an additive can be dosed more easily than with animals that graze in fields for large parts of the year. Regulators and buyers must also know what effects the substance has on animal health, milk, meat and fertility.
Bromoform is also not the same as feeding unlimited amounts of seaweed. It concerns a specific substance or an extract; production, storage and dosing partly determine the climate benefit. A measure that requires a great deal of energy or land to produce the additive may negate some of the advantage.
The study was published in Frontiers in Animal Science and is therefore peer-reviewed research, but one study is not conclusive evidence for broad implementation. The Australian government describes the results of feed additives as dependent on the circumstances. Independent follow-up studies and field trials are needed to determine whether the reduction remains stable and produces no unexpected effects.
For climate policy, the difference between measurement and promise is fundamental. The measured emissions reduction in a trial is a scientific result. The decision to make farmers pay for an additive, provide a subsidy or tighten emissions rules is then a political and economic decision.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A study tested a bromoform-containing extract from red seaweed in cattle.
- The study reported a substantial methane reduction under the conditions examined.
- The Australian government describes major differences between results in different livestock systems.
- The study says nothing about a complete solution for all agricultural emissions.
Left
Arguments The government should quickly invest in proven emissions reductions and help farmers adopt new technologies safely. Seaweed additives could form part of a broader shift towards lower emissions and less dependence on livestock numbers.
Values Climate responsibility, public innovation and protecting future generations.
Consequences Subsidies and regulation could accelerate adoption, but would entail public costs and oversight.
Centre
Arguments New feed additives deserve field trials and independent scrutiny before they are made compulsory or heavily subsidised. Farmers should be able to choose between several routes, depending on the type of farm they run.
Values Evidence, proportionality and practicality.
Consequences A gradual approach avoids costly mistakes, but may slow emissions reductions.
Right
Arguments Farmers and businesses should be given room to choose the most efficient technology themselves. The government should not prescribe a specific solution while its safety, cost and climate benefit have not been established everywhere.
Values Entrepreneurship, freedom of choice and affordability.
Consequences More room for the market could stimulate innovation, but without incentives widespread adoption may not materialise.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The text uses the Australian study and government information to distinguish between measured trial results and possible real-world application. High reduction percentages are not presented as a universal result.
- confirmed Bromoform from Asparagopsis can reduce methane emissions from cattle. — Examined in the University of Adelaide study and described by the Australian government. source
- confirmed The University of Adelaide studied Angus cattle and reported no harm to calves in the study. — Description of the research design and outcome in the university press release. source
- incorrect Feed additives produce the same methane reduction under all conditions. — The Australian government reports varying results by animal and production system. source
- confirmed The study was published in a peer-reviewed journal. — The study appears in Frontiers in Animal Science. source
Editor's note
The study concerns a specific seaweed extract and a specific trial involving Angus cattle. The results should not be read as proof that all livestock farming can immediately be made climate-neutral.Sources
- Seaweed compound shows major methane cuts in beef cattle — University of Adelaide
- Reducing methane from livestock — Australian Government, DCCEEW
- Brown seaweed supplementation in dairy and beef cattle — Frontiers in Animal Science
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „methaan koeien”
- FD — „methaan koeien”
- AD — „methaan koeien”