Woolworths Group, Sea Forest, DIT AgTech, and Teys Australia have launched a multi-year collaboration to trial a methane-reducing feed supplement in Australian grass-fed cattle, in a move aimed at cutting emissions while improving productivity across the beef supply chain.
The partners have entered a formal agreement to conduct a commercial-scale trial at a cattle farm in New South Wales, testing both water-delivered and dry-lick formulations of Sea Forest’s SeaFeed supplement. The water-delivered formulation will be administered using DIT AgTech’s uDOSE dosing technology, designed for extensive grazing systems.
The initiative is backed by investment from all four partners. Trial results will be independently verified against globally recognised standards, with the aim of positioning the Australian beef value chain ahead of its global peers.
SeaFeed, derived from the seaweed Asparagopsis, has demonstrated methane-emissions reductions of up to 80 per cent in multiple peer-reviewed studies and is already in use by Teys Australia.
The trial will also assess whether the supplement can deliver productivity gains in grass-fed systems, including improved weight gain and feed efficiency.
Woolworths director of Meat, Justin Nolan, said the trial aligns with the retailer’s commitment to sustainable supply chains and innovation.
“This is an exciting industry initiative, and we’re investing in real innovation to prove out a scalable, science-based and commercially viable solution that can help lower supply chain emissions while delivering productivity benefits for producers,” Nolan said.
Sea Forest Founder and CEO, Sam Elsom, said the collaboration will help validate SeaFeed performance in real-world grass-fed conditions.
“With SeaFeed we’re replicating and harnessing the bioactives in Asparagopsis to deliver measurable methane reductions in real-world conditions,” Elsom said.
“Partnering on this grass-fed trial helps validate animal performance outcomes delivered in addition to the established emissions reduction and supports the scalable adoption of a science-based solution for producers and retailers.”
DIT AgTech Founder and CEO, Mark Peart, said the trial demonstrates how technology can enable verified emissions reduction in extensive grazing environments. “Our uDOSE water-delivery platform is built for extensive grazing systems, ensuring consistent intake and enabling independently verified methane abatement,” Peart said.
“With our Verra-registered project under VM0041, producers have a practical, monitorable pathway to reduce emissions and support on-farm productivity.”
As the processing partner, Teys Australia will provide supply-chain expertise to support potential commercial uptake. Teys Australia COO, Charlie Hollingworth, said the collaboration is focused on proving outcomes at scale.
“This partnership is about proving, at commercial scale, that lowering methane in grass-fed systems can go hand-in-hand with productivity – with independent verification and best-practice animal welfare across the value chain,” Hollingworth said.
The partners said they are committed to sharing key learnings and outcomes with the broader industry as the program progresses, to help support wider adoption of nature-based methane-reduction solutions across the red meat sector.
