Investment fund AgriZeroNZ has invested $4.1 million in Hoofprint Biome, a United States startup that has developed a probiotic and natural enzyme that shows an 80% reduction in methane in laboratory testing.
The funding will allow the company to shift to the next stage of development, which is proof-of-concept animal trials.
Good Growth Capital and Ponderosa Ventures, a member of Galvanize Climate Solutions, have also invested.
AgriZeroNZ executive director Wayne McNee said the probiotic is still in the early stages of development, but has enormous potential for New Zealand’s pastoral-based farming systems.
Intended to be ingested as a supplement in a small dose, the Hoofprint probiotic aims to reduce enteric methane emissions by over 80% while simultaneously increasing milk and meat yield by over 5%.
It could be possibly fed to sheep or cattle once a day or once or twice a week. On a dairy farm, it could be added to an in-shed feeding system or potentially even be administered as a drench.
“It looks as if it could have quite a long method of action,” McNee said.
“They have done a lot of research at the moment in artificial rumen trials and the next phase, which we are helping to fund, is to have small-scale animal trials.”
Source : Farmers Weekly