As researchers strive to reduce methane emissions in the agricultural sector, grazing animals have not been privy to current feed-additive technologies. That could change soon, with a new, commercial product under development called Rumin8.
Rumin8 is under development by a climate technology start-up company based in Perth, Australia. It contains a compound developed from rangeland plants and red seaweed. The organic active compound, Tribromomethane (TBM), is produced via a pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing process.
More than a decade of research has explored its efficacy in reducing methane output by targeting the methanogenic pathways in ruminant livestock.
As a feed additive, Rumin8 has been shown to reduce methane emissions in confinement-housed dairy and feedlot cattle by 50 to more than 90%.
But according to the Rumin8 founders, at any one time 96% of the cattle population in Australia, the U.S., Brazil, and New Zealand are raised in grazing systems, and there currently no methane-reducing additives available for these cattle.
A recent study conducted at Australia’s University of New England evaluated the efficacy of delivering a water-based formulation of Rumin8 to cattle through water troughs. Compared to a control group receiving no treatment, the Rumin8-treated cattle achieved an 81% methane yield reduction.
In the same study, an oil-based formulation was incorporated into a feedlot ration, producing a 95% reduction in methane yield. But the still-respectable 81% methane reduction via water delivery could still be highly valuable, given the large population of cattle in either remote rangeland operations or those with fewer animal handling touchpoints. And even in confinement housing, water dosing may be more practical and convenient, depending on the operation’s management structure and animal care routines.
Rumin8 founders say the product could be integral to the production of lower-carbon meat and milk. They emphasize that reducing ruminant methane enables animals to convert otherwise lost energy into increased productivity. Initial research trials have indicated productivity gains in the neighborhood of 9%.
To date, Rumin8 has been approved in feed additive form by regulatory bodies in New Zealand and Brazil. The product remains in the approval review process with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.
Company officials say they are working diligently to accelerate access of Rumin8 products into the hands of producers, with “a view to reduce livestock methane emissions and improve productivity.”
