- Asparagopsis armata, a cold water variety of the red seaweed, was discovered in Irish waters about 60 years ago
- The variety is similar to Asparagopsis taxiformis which has been found to reduce methane emissions from cattle
- In Ireland the armata variety has been cultivated in Ard Bay, County Galway
Dr Rob Kinley, whose research at Australia’s CSIRO is the basis for the FutureFeed® patent, is reported to have since visited Ireland and collaborated with the Bantry Marine Research Station.
The research station, which is now owned by veterinary pharmaceuticals company Bimeda, has been testing the effectiveness of red seaweed species Asparagopsis armata.
General manager of the research station, David O’Neill, estimated that the additive could cut as much as 60% of the methane emissions of cattle in Ireland.
The marine research company is co-operating with Údarás na Gaeltachta and Teagasc, and is aiming to raise funds for additional animal trials.
Ireland has a long history of hand-harvesting a small number of almost 600 types of seaweed growing along the 7,800km Irish coastline.
The Farming section of the Independent has the full story here.
Photo by Anukrati Omar on Unsplash