Fonterra introduces new phase in sustainable seaweed trial

Fonterra has entered into a new phase in its seaweed solution trial in which the company is testing to see if seaweed can be used as dairy cow supplement feed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2020, the company entered into a partnership with Sea Forest, a licensed producer of Asparagopsis seaweed for cattle feed.

The seaweed trial is taking place on Annandale farm in Tasmania. The farm was chosen due to Tasmania’s climate, as well as its flexible feeding and milking system. 900 dairy cows have been fed small amounts of the seaweed supplement.

During the trial, Fonterra has been extensively testing milk for seaweed residues and compared the milk production with cows who were not fed the seaweed supplement – finding that production has remained unchanged.

The companies are ready to take the trial to the next phase which will include expanding to multiple farms and Sea Forest has purchased an additional 30,000-square-metre farm to increase its production of the seaweed supplement.  

Sam Elsom, Sea Forest CEO and founder, said: “Asparagopsis is a common seaweed native to the waters of Tasmania and New Zealand and we’re the first in the world to cultivate it at a commercial scale through both marine and land-based aquaculture”.

He continued: “We needed a food industry partner to help us take this to a commercial scale and we partnered with Fonterra because of its commitment to sustainability and innovation. We’re looking forward to working with Fonterra on the next phase and although we’re still in trial phases, we believe this has potential.”

The trial is part of wider efforts to tackle emissions and Fonterra’s aim to be net-zero carbon by 2050.