The related article below is from The Land
A specialist researcher believes there are opportunities and significant challenges in reducing greenhouse gas emission from livestock production systems, while maintaining and even increasing productivity.
The researcher is Beverley Henry from Meat and Livestock Australia’s Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change unit, who will be a speaker at the Australian Tropical Pastures Conference at Goondiwindi, Qld, on March 18-19.
Dr Henry said about 60pc of Australia’s total methane emissions were derived from livestock industries.
This represented about 11pc of total national greenhouse emissions.
She said on current knowledge, the greenhouse emissions could be reduced by about 20pc.
“The challenge is particularly difficult for extensive production systems where few options currently exist for practical intervention,” she said.
“In some intensive livestock industries, strategies such as feeding supplements and using nitrification inhibitors can be developed for widespread application.”
An acknowledged global authority on carbon sequestration under tropical pastures will speak at the conference dinner.
He is Myles Fisher, a researcher and consultant from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, Columbia.
Dr Fisher has been involved in considerable research on the environmental benefits of tropical pastures in Africa, South America and other countries.
Dr Fisher said pastures had a massive role to play in providing ecosystem services.
“In South America, for example, there are 50 million hectares of introduced pastures that could impact on the global carbon balance,” he said.
Dr Fisher said the spot price for accumulated carbon sold as an environmental service is $40/tonne on European exchanges.
However, there were requirements that would have to be met before this option would be considered by buyers, he said.