Australia's northern beef producers are renowned for producing nutritious beef from modest-quality pasture.
(photo supplied by ZNEAg CRC)
While their southern counterparts have greater access to their herds and can take advantage of options such as methane-reducing feed additives, northern producers have had to look elsewhere.
University of Queensland researcher Professor Ben Hayes and his team are developing a genetic solution with sufficient impact and scalability to make meaningful and lasting reductions to methane emissions in the northern cattle industry.
New breeding values
The five-year MLA-supported project, 'Reducing methane emissions and improving profitability in Northern Australian beef', is nearing its goal to develop genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) specifically for methane production.
Producers will soon be able to select for lower methane cattle alongside productivity traits, using these tools as part of their breeding program.
This research has the potential to overcome two key barriers to reduced methane emissions in the north - the sheer numbers of grazing cows and the very extensive conditions in which they graze.
"Current projections are that we will be able to reduce methane by up to 1 per cent per year -- if you add that up over 20 years, it's potentially a 20 per cent reduction," Professor Hayes said.
Progress so far
Northern beef producers already recognise the value of genetics, with many using selection for fertility as a tool to improve their herd efficiency.
It turns out this also reduces methane/kg of beef produced.
"By increasing how many calves a cow has in her lifetime, you are diluting the cow's emissions over more kilograms of beef," he said.
"In addition, fast-growing animals mean you achieve turn-off rates earlier, which also decreases emissions.
"By being able to directly select for methane alongside productivity, this new tool will give producers an extra level to pull."
Working out how various traits interact and influence production is important to consider when using genetic tools.
"Research suggests you can select for lower emissions without impacting fertility. What is linked, however, is the size of the animal and their methane emissions.
"If you select purely for methane, you'll end up with smaller animals - this has been shown in research out of New Zealand.
"To avoid this, we want to select for lower emissions but also select for animals that grow well and produce good liveweights," he said.
Professor Hayes emphasises the importance of selecting using an Index -- or a collection of traits working in combination together -- rather than for distinct traits in isolation.
Taking out the guesswork
A prototype of the tool resulting from this research is due in mid-2026, when it will be tested with project collaborators. It should be more widely available to producers within three years.
"Breakthroughs in this area of science are accelerating now because we are very aware of how to develop these DNA genotype-based tools to support new breeding values for methane," he said.
"We've developed genomic breeding values for multiple traits now, so we have a good idea of what is required to develop a GEBV for a new trait like methane."
The project runs through to the end of 2026, with the aim to release new breeding values for methane to be included in genetic evaluations and products and services.
Steps to reduce methane
The outcome of this research is that northern Australia beef cattle breeders will be able to select for reduced methane (CH4) emissions. Here’s how:
- Researchers are measuring methane emissions from 4,500 cattle, including breeds which account for more than 70% of the cattle produced in northern Australia.
- These measurements will be combined with genotype data to form a genomic reference population.
- Researchers will then be able to develop genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) to select cattle with traits to match their production goals.
- Producers can use these GEBVs to select cattle with traits to match their production goals.
Contacts: Professor Ben Hayes, b.hayes@uq.edu.au, +61 434 210 890 and Natalie MacGregor, QAAFI media, n.macgregor@uq.edu.au, +61 409 135 651.
Article written by Clare Le, from Meat and Livestock Australia, and first published on page 12 in the spring 2025 edition of MLA's Feedback magazine.
The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation is a research institute at The University of Queensland, established with and supported by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries.