Seaweed feed pioneer laments ‘missed opportunity’ of government snub

A Tasmanian company is ramping up production of a unique red seaweed that, when added to livestock diets, reduces planet-warming methane emissions. 

Asparagopsis is grown at an ocean lease and in tanks on Tasmania’s east coast, and a new second site will be entirely land-based seaweed farming.

Sam Elsom founded the seaweed farming operation through his company, Sea Forest.

For his efforts, Mr Elsom was named the 2025 Tasmanian of the Year.

He has also been acknowledged on the world stage — named as a finalist in Prince William’s Earthshot Prize in 2023.

“What we’re doing is expanding the land-based farming footprint of Sea Forest and increasing the supply to the industry,” Mr Elsom said.

According to the CSIRO, methane from livestock burps and farts is 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Direct livestock emissions account for around 10 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

But Mr Elsom is a little nervous as the new tanks go in.

He is desperate for more farmers to adopt feed additives and is hosting local graziers at the production sites.

The operation fascinated local sheep farmers and vineyard owners, Bob and Pat Greenhill.

“It’s just been the most fantastic day because I knew so little about what was happening here, but it’s been explained in such a clear way to us,” Mrs Greenhill said.

Farmers on this visit will be involved in some new trials across Tasmania.

Mr Elsom is passionate about using his methane-busting seaweed as part of a climate solution.

“We’re just about to kick off a very exciting Tasmanian program that will run over three years and includes beef and dairy, and about seven farms across the state,” Mr Elsom said.

However, he is deeply disappointed by the federal government’s recent decision to exclude seaweed feed additives from the Australian carbon credit scheme.

“Sadly, we received some news about a month ago from the federal government that they would not prioritise a feed supplement method,” Mr Elsom said. 

It is a sentiment shared by climate scientist Matthew Harrison from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.

“I was pretty much shocked that the [seaweed] wouldn’t be included as part of the ACCU [Australian Carbon Credit Units] scheme,” Professor Harrison said

The livestock industry has set a target of being carbon neutral by 2030, and Professor Harrison believes seaweed additives should be a crucial part of a suite of methane-reducing tools.

“The only way that producers are going to adopt technologies or practices or any sort of innovation to reduce enteric methane is through carbon markets and some sort of incentive or subsidisation,” he said.

Seaweed technology goes to UK

In the meantime, Sea Forest has signed a deal with a UK supermarket and farming chain. 

Mr Elsom said farmers were rewarded for adopting climate-friendly practices.

“That’s driven us to the UK and Europe,” he said.

“Initial work with Morrisons in the UK will rely on seaweed produced here in Tasmania, but, in the long run, the intention is to replicate what we’ve built here in Tasmania in the UK.”

Mr Elsom said if Australia did not embrace its own emissions-reducing asparagopsis supplements sooner rather than later, the international market would probably do so — and those with licences will set up farms overseas.

A spokesperson for the Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water Department said the federal government recognised the interest in commercialising methane-reducing feed additives for livestock.

The spokesperson said the government had provided the emerging industry with $8 million to support that commercialisation, and that the ACCU scheme was an appropriate mechanism to incentivise the use of low-emissions feeds for livestock.

The department did not confirm if or when that might happen.

“It would be a game changer for us, and a game changer for farmers, and a game changer for the planet, really, because we would be able to sort of accelerate impact,” Mr Elsom said.