P.PSH.1378 - Exploring methane inhibitors supplemented through water to increase beef industry sustainability
Did you know automated dosing to water supply can be a path to deliver supplements to cattle in extensive pastoral systems?
| Project start date: | 01 March 2022 |
| Project end date: | 30 November 2025 |
| Publication date: | 18 May 2026 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grass-fed Cattle |
| Relevant regions: | Queensland |
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Summary
The project investigated the potential to deliver methane reducing additives to cattle in extensive grazing systems via drinking water. The project measured the effects of the water delivery strategy on feed and water intake, liveweight gain and enteric methane emissions from cattle fed a tropical grass hay in pens or grazing tropical forages under commercial conditions. The results of the project are relevant to producers with extensive ruminant grazing systems, companies that are developing methane reducing additives, industry bodies and policy makers.
Objectives
The objectives of this project were to:
• Determine which methane suppressing compounds can be safely and successfully delivered via drinking water to cattle,
• Determine the reduction in methane emissions achieved from the delivery of methane suppression compounds in the drinking water, and
• Demonstrate the delivery of methane suppression compounds via drinking water to cattle in northern Australia at a commercial scale.
Key findings
The results demonstrate that a number of methane reducing additives are soluble and stable in water and/or water-based nutrient supplements, and reduce methane emissions from cattle when included in the drinking water and when tested under specific conditions (i.e., young castrated Bos indicus cattle, low quality forages, low liveweight gain or liveweight loss, short duration studies, combination with N and P water-based nutrient supplements, single or two doses at most). Importantly, different additives will require different time periods to exert their effects in the rumen (e.g., effects of Agolin were only apparent after 7 weeks of consumption via drinking water and at a specific dose rate) and dose rates need to be optimised for water delivery due to differences in kinetics of solids and liquids entering and retained in the rumen. Challenges exist in extending the strategy to grazing conditions where rainfall events can reduce intake of drinking water and, hence, the methane reducing additive.
Benefits to industry
The project demonstrated that potential exists to deliver methane reducing additives to cattle via drinking water. These preliminary findings would be of interest to companies developing methane reducing additives and to producers in extensive grazing systems that are looking to incorporate methane reducing additives into their beef businesses. The combination of methane reducing additives with water-based nutrient-supplementation is likely to generate a production response, but the economics of this require testing in the absence of any existing approved methodology for gaining carbon credits from such a delivery strategy.
Future research
Future research is recommended to broaden the context of which water delivery of methane reducing additives are tested including,
• Longer-term studies to determine the persistence of effects on methane emissions,
• A wider range of seasonal conditions (e.g., rainfall, temperature and humidity),
• A wider range of animal classes (other ruminant species, animals of different ages and physiological status), and
• Optimisation of dose rates of methane reducing additives tested in the current project and other emerging additives that may be suitable for water delivery.
• Research should consider total cost of intervention for producers, including the dosing technology and supplements.
More information
| Project manager: | Julia Waite |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
