Methane mitigation developer has no plans to try to register here anytime soon.
A red seaweed methane mitigation company is pulling back from efforts to launch into New Zealand as demand for its treatment starts to ramp up in other farming markets.
Dr Steve Meller, CEO of methane mitigation company CH4, told Farmers Weekly that, since commissioning a red seaweed processing plant in South Australia in January, the company has been ramping up supplies locally and globally to beef producers.
“We have raised almost NZ$100 million so far and have announced our commercial partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation, and a global partnership with Indian company UPL.”
Meller said markets are now established in South America, South Korea and Japan.
In June last year Australian protein company CirPro announced the successful processing of CH4’s branded Methane Tamer product at commercial scale to supply 100,000 cattle a day with the product to CirPro’s feedlot partners.
However, that goal remains elusive and Meller said he is uncertain when NZ farmers may have it as a tool to help reduce methane emissions.
“The [NZ] regulators somehow believe questions exist over safety of the product. Yet there is no supporting data that says there is any safety question over the use of red seaweed, and we have supplied information on that,” said Meller.
Last year Meller gave a presentation to a Parliamentary select committee receiving submissions on changes to legislation to allow methane mitigators to be administered.
Meller has been outspoken in challenging government regulators on their stance, maintaining the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) regulations have stymied his and other companies launching products.
Bovaer, another high-profile methane mitigation product, has been withdrawn by DSM from the application process in the past two years.
“At some point the market may open up in NZ,” Meller said.
A United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation report released last year highlighted concerns over gaps in the understanding of the active bromoform extracted from red seaweed. Synthetic variants are known to have carcinogenic effects.
But Meller maintains the red-seaweed-sourced active is fed only in minute quantities to livestock and does not have such properties.
In analysing red seaweed as a natural bromoform source, the report noted bromoform was not detected in products from treated animals up to 147 days post-treatment.
NZ Food Safety (NZFS) deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said any new inhibitor product made available in NZ has to be supported by good evidence that it is safe and effective in the NZ farming environment, and that it does not lead to any trade issues when the commodity is exported.
Managing such risks means the product has to be registered under the ACVM Act when making inhibitor claims.
“CH4 Global has not applied to NZFS to register its product for use in NZ. We are ready to review any application and supporting evidence if we receive it,” Arbuckle said.
He said suppliers needed to demonstrate that any risks to public health, trade, animal welfare and biosecurity from the use of the product could be managed.
But Meller said he was more interested in markets that have supportive pathways to help launch methane inhibitors.
“Why would I spend millions when I have other markets that facilitate its pathway to market because that market wants it?”
NZFS has confirmed there are currently no asparagopsis products seeking registration in NZ.
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