NSW DPI principal researcher Dr Roger Hegarty and UNE Professor John Nolan believe new technology developed by the collaborative team of NSW DPI and NZcientists will replace this methane measurement chamber.

Ground-breaking research has for the first time united NSW Department of Primary Industries and New Zealand scientists in a project which promises to develop a new approach to address global warming issues and improve productivity within the grazing industries.

NSW DPI scientist, Roger Hegarty, said input from Meat and Wool New Zealand Ltd and NZ’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research will lead to a potent combination of technologies to measure feed efficiency and methane gas emissions.

'The ultimate aim is to optimise the energy expenditure of cattle and to do that we need to be able to measure inputs and outputs,' Dr Hegarty said.

'It’s never been done in the field before and by merging our research we believe we can develop a way to accurately measure energy intake and expenditure of grazing animals.

'Previously we had to measure energy use in a controlled environment, now the new gas sensors developed in NZ will enable us to accurately measure energy use and methane production in the paddock.'

NSW DPI research has recently tested the link between net feed intake (NFI) and methane production in feedlots.

'The research confirmed feed efficient cattle, those with a superior NFI score, tend to produce less methane which indicates we’re heading in the right direction,' he said.

Feed efficient cattle are more productive and cost-effective because they can gain weight with less feed than cattle with an inferior NFI.

The beef industry has adopted NFI as an integral part of BREEDPLAN, the internationally-recognised genetic evaluation package developed in Australia.

NFI values will be used in conjunction with the NZ gas sensors to assess animal efficiency in the field.

'This is an exciting development, because for years we could only take those measurements in a controlled environment and to some extent that has slowed down feed efficiency research,' he said.

'If those free-range measurements are accurate not only will we be able to measure and manage methane gas emissions, we’ll also have a great new tool to identify individual animals which are feed efficient and have a desirable NFI score.

'We are always looking for the magic win-win solution and if we can improve the profitability of grazing industries through feed efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases we’re certainly on a winner.'

A potential boon to both Australian and NZ grazing industries researchers, predict additional genetic gains which could see the development of new ways to manage production and fine-tune breeding programs.

It is currently estimated that 13 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gases and more than 30per cent in NZ are produced by belching cattle and sheep in the form of methane gas emissions.

The livestock efficiency study is the first project to be run by the Primary Industries Innovation Centre, a partnership between NSW DPI and the University of New England.

Contact: Dr Roger Hegarty, NSW DPI Armidale on 02 6770 1806.

- BERNADETTER YORK AND ANNETTE CROSS

This story appears in Agriculture Today.