Professor Chris Reynolds and Dr Dave Humphries hosted an EIT Food funded SeaCH4NGE project meeting at the Centre for Dairy Research. The aim of the SeaCH4NGE project is to investigate the potential of different forms of seaweed as feed supplements to reduce methane production by cattle with the secondary aim to study the effect on animal welfare and product quality.

The first phase of SeaCH4NGE has investigated a range of seaweed products at Matís (Iceland), the project coordinators. In the second phase a laboratory based in-vitro system has been used to screen the efficacy of the products at the University of Hohenheim. The third phase is testing the effects of feeding the most promising product on methane emission of cattle at the University of Reading. A future phase will focus on productivity, product quality and composition through more detailed feeding trials and analysis. The planned output will be a marketable seaweed product to farmers/seaweed producers.

In the photo from left to right are James Draper, Senior Agriculture Manager, APB Food; Ásta Heiðrún E. Pétursdóttir, Research Scientist at Matís; Chris Reynolds; Susanne Künzel, University of Hohenheim; Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, Research Group Leader at Matís; and Dave Humphries.