THE Federal Government has revised the feedlot industry’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, following the release of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report 2023.

In a landmark moment for the grainfed industry, research initiated and funded by Meat & Livestock Australia on behalf of Australian Lot Feeders Association revises the previous estimates of enteric methane emissions from Australian feedlot cattle downwards by 56 percent on average in the last five years, and 57pc for 2021-22 alone.

Longfed cattle on feed at Lotte’s Sandalwood feedlot

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has adopted a new Australian-specific equation to calculate enteric methane emissions from grainfed cattle following the research, conducted by the University of New England.

The National Greenhouse Accounts previously used the Moe and Tyrrell (1979) equation for predicting the beef feedlot sector’s methane emissions. This previous equation used data from dairy cattle in the United States, where diet and production systems are markedly different from that of modern grainfed beef cattle in Australia.

The flaws in this methodology have been frequently highlighted by Frank Mitloehner and others.

According to MLA managing director Michael Crowley, the research results gave the industry a much more accurate picture of the industry and path forward for addressing the Australian grainfed sector’s emissions.

“The development of an Australian-specific methodology for calculating Australian grainfed cattle emissions is a helpful step-forward for the feedlot industry,” Mr Crowley said.

“As technology has improved over time, measurements have become more accurate and now we have proven thorough research that grainfed cattle have lower emissions than previously thought.

“The grainfed sector is adopting sustainable practices such as reducing methane emissions through advanced feed and management strategies. To have a more accurate method to calculate and analyse our emissions, we can focus more closely on addressing enteric methane emissions, making our product even more environmentally sustainable.”

Australian Lot Feeders Association president Grant Garey said the results showed that feedlots are committed to understanding their emissions and how to reduce them.

“ALFA and MLA have partnered in researching and developing tools to address the climate challenge for more than 20 years. This recent advancement in accurate measurement of emissions gives us the tools to further target methane reduction within the feedlot industry,” Mr Garey said.

“The research provides lotfeeders with accurate information to meet the growing demand for climate-related evidence and reporting.”

Professor of Livestock Production at UNE, Fran Cowley, stated that researched evaluated equations for predicting methane emissions of beef cattle when fed tempered barley-based diets which are typical of the Australian feedlot industry.

“The research involved analysis of previous methane studies on livestock as well as new measurements of methane output at UNE’s facilities,” Prof Cowley said.

“The data collected supported the theory that Australian cattle that were fed a tempered barley-based diet, which is typical of the Australian feedlot industry, produced less emissions than what was calculated with the historic Moe and Tyrrell equation.”

Landmark moment for grainfed sector

In a briefing to members this morning, ALFA said the research findings had formally recognised what the industry had long-known: that Australia’s grainfed cattle production system is efficient and produces significantly lower methane emissions than previously estimated.

“This is a landmark moment for our industry. The previous equation — developed using data from US dairy cattle — has now been updated by a scientifically robust, locally developed method that more accurately reflects Australian grainfed diets and production systems,” the notice said.

What this means for lotfeeders:

• Emissions from feedlot cattle are now officially recognised as significantly lower — a 56pc average reduction in reported emissions over the past five years
• Provides stronger evidence to support lotfeeders’ on-farm decisions, environmental reporting, and the sector’s sector’s sustainability messaging
• Helps address public misconceptions about the grainfed sector’s environmental footprint
• Aligns with Australia’s global climate obligations
• Aligns with industry driving emissions reduction and contributing to Australia’s net zero ambitions while advancing profitability, productivity and sustainability.

The feedlot sector had invested in understanding and reducing its emissions for more than two decades, in strong partnership with MLA through the Feedlot R&D Program, the notice said.

“This latest scientific breakthrough represents a major return on investment and lays the groundwork for the next phase of innovation — including securing productivity gains through methane abatement technology.

“This is a great result, driven by research, collaboration, and leadership — and we thank MLA’s Feedlot R&D Program team and ALFA’s R&D Committee in delivering this outcome on behalf of the feedlot industry.”

• The full report can be viewed here: Assessment of the Australian Feedlot Enteric Methane Inventory equation
• To view Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Reports, visit: National Inventory Reports and view emissions online at the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts.

Source: MLA/ALFA