Tasmania-based Sea Forest is the first company in the world to farm methane-busting Asparagopsis, a red seaweed native to Australian coastal waters. Around 32% of human-induced methane emissions come from livestock, so Sea Forest has developed a feed supplement called SeaFeed that, when mixed into an animal’s regular diet, reduces their methane production by up to 90%.
In 2023, the company began scaling up production of its supplement to reach a commercial volume of 1 million doses a year. It has also been working with local and international partners to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the supplement and show that there’s no impact on the taste or quality of beef and milk production.
In February 2023, Sea Forest partnered with Grill’d, an Australian-owned restaurant, to launch the world’s first low-emissions burger, which has seen a 35% customer uptake despite costing an additional $1. Other partners include Australian fashion house M.J. Bale, which sells merino wool suits derived from sheep that have been fed the SeaFeed supplement; Rangers Valley, the Australian premium marbled-beef producer; and Fonterra, a New Zealand-based dairy giant.
Sea Forest expects to more than double production of its supplement in 2024 as it scales up its land-based Asparagopsis cultivation facilities in Swansea, Tasmania.
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