A Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Strategy
Prepared by
Mark Leslie, Chair,
Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium
and
Peter O’Hara, Chair,
Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Research Review
The purpose of this paper is to present a strategy for research on abatement of pastoral agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. The research is funded through a partnership between Government and the agricultural industry and is managed by the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGGRC). The dairy, sheep, beef cattle, deer sectors, and fertiliser manufacturers are industry partners in the PGGRC and contribute funds to its current and future research programmes and, independently, through their own programmes. The Government contribution is direct to PGGRC via the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology (FRST) and through the Ministry of Agriculture's (MAF) own research programmes, which will continue to fully fund New Zealand's official inventory measurements.
This strategy combines the recommendations of the report prepared by O’Hara, Freney and Ulyatt for Government and the Primary Industries Council (O’Hara report) the strategy developed by the PGGRC at its launch in 2002 (in keeping with the requirements of the Foundation for Research Science and Technology for establishment of Research Consortia), and work already being funded individually by the agriculture industry. All of the areas of research recommended by the O’Hara Report are represented in the columns headed "Areas of Investigation" in the tables and specific proposals below.
The goals of this strategy are:
-
to identify, establish and develop on-farm technologies to improve production efficiency for ruminants;
-
to identify, establish and develop on-farm technologies for sheep, dairy and beef cattle, and deer, which lower methane emissions from New Zealand ruminants and nitrous oxide from grazing animal systems; and
-
to exploit commercial opportunities arising from the science and technologies in a global market.
The target is to have safe, cost-effective greenhouse gas abatement technologies, which will lower total New Zealand ruminant methane and nitrous oxide emissions by at least 20 percent as compared with the ‘business as usual’ emissions level, by the end of the first commitment period (2012). Individually, none of the options outlined below provides a simple, universally applicable mitigation technology. However, taken collectively, and if widely adopted, they should at the very least defer any rise in New Zealand’s agricultural emissions over the next 10 years.
An overall reduction in methane production per individual animal is the ideal goal. Realistically, given the nature of agricultural production systems, the immediate goal will be to reduce methane per unit of production. Thus, as productivity per animal increases, the goal is to reduce the amount of methane produced for each unit of output (e.g. kg of milk, meat).
The O’Hara report identified short to medium term research opportunities, which may improve the efficiency with which plant energy and protein are utilised by grazing animals and reduce the methane and nitrous oxide emissions per kg of dry matter. However, these technologies would only reduce total emissions if animal numbers and/or production was capped. Nonetheless, improving efficiency is an important objective that may create mitigation options that do not currently exist.
The O’Hara Report also noted that a better understanding of fundamental biological processes was needed before technologies that might alter the processes by which methane and nitrous oxide are formed could progress. This area, therefore, requires research of a longer term nature.
This strategy proposes a balanced portfolio that explores both the shorter-term efficiency gains and the longer-term fundamental ‘discovery’ research. Research funds will be allocated to three science result areas:
-
"discovery": fundamental studies to understand processes;
-
"proof of function/concept": research that demonstrates feasibility and establishes the parameters of the technology;
-
"product development/on-farm testing": development of the technology to a usable form.
The pursuit of the dual outcomes of improved productivity and abatement of greenhouse gas emissions have been emphasised in the development of this research strategy. Farmers wish to invest primarily in research that has a productivity benefit and that in some research programmes, the measurement of methane and nitrous oxide emissions may not be necessary to measure productivity gains. The substantial government research investment through the Foundation for RS&T acknowledges the national benefits that are derived from making these measurements in those circumstances.
The proposed research is summarised in the following tables.
|
Result Area
|
Areas of investigation
|
Funded programme objectives
|
Objectives to be investigated, developed and funded
|
Timing of Objectives
|
|
Discovery
|
Methanogen genomics
|
Genome sequences Identification of methanogen inhibitors.
|
|
|
|
|
Rumen microbes
|
Strategies to modify hydrogen and methane production by microbes
Novel methanogens in other species.
|
Explanation of apparently low emissions in deer.
Methane oxidising bacteria.
|
2004-05 - follow-up research investigating deer emissions planned under Inventory work in 2003-04. If lower emissions do prove repeatable, develop research objective to look at why deer appear unique and opportunities offered for other species.
|
|
|
Animal factors
|
Investigate whether between-animal differences are genetically determined or due to other factors.
|
|
|
|
|
Methane inhibitors- Forage
|
Isolation of condensed tannins/plant inhibitors with anti-methanogenic properties.
Desk-top study of literature on inhibitors.
|
|
Review will occur in first half of 2004.
|
|
|
On-farm testing protocols
|
Desk study protocol for evaluation of potential rumen function modifiers before trialling.
Malate / fumarate review completed.
|
|
|
|
Proof of concept/ function
|
Vaccination
|
Test CSIRO vaccine in sheep.
|
|
Review will occur in second half of 2003.
|
|
|
Condensed tannins
|
Feeding trials with Lotus corniculatus, kikuyu and sulla.
|
|
|
|
|
Diet Manipulation
|
Evaluation of mitigation options using grains, oils, fats.
|
|
|
|
|
Forage mixes
|
Design of rations to economically improve efficiency by reducing methane output per kg DDMI and through diluting the animal’s maintenance requirements.
|
|
Research is currently underway with known products e.g. sulla. Additional work would be needed on completion of Discovery work around Forage Methane Inhibitors.
|
|
|
Monensin
|
Monensin (Rumensin™) may reduce methane by 20 percent - some acceptability concerns with feeding an antibiotic. Evaluation is needed in NZ farming conditions.
|
|
|
|
Develop-mental / on-farm testing
|
Farm scale modelling / resource accounting
|
|
See Modelling
|
|
|
|
Inhibitor screening bioassay
|
Anaerobic culture methods used to test methanogen survival following addition of plant extracts with suspect anti-methanogen properties.
|
|
|
|
|
Increased Legume Content
|
On-farm evaluation to increase CTs feeds available (clover establishment). Development of management guidelines to assist farmers growing/feeding birdsfoot trefoil and sulla.
|
|
|
|
Technolgy Transfer
|
Increased Legume Content
|
Extension of results of practices to improve legume establishment and survival.
|
|
|