Insights for the emerging seaweed industry in Australia

Australia has a small, emerging seaweed industry with the potential to develop into a commercially significant new aquaculture sector within the coming decades. Seaweed cultivation and products are already a large global industry with enormous growth potential as the demand for natural, sustainable seaweed products expands.

The major focus of the Australian seaweed industry is on a native seaweed species called Asparagopsis, which, when incorporated as a ruminant livestock feed supplement reduces methanogenesis by over 80%. This natural seaweed supplement could be a game-changer for reducing emissions from agriculture.

As enteric livestock methane emissions contribute over 10% of Australia’s total emissions footprint and almost 7% globally, it’s high time that methane emissions from livestock are recognized and addressed as the major route to agriculture and food system decarbonization.

With the global methane-reducing additive market estimated to grow at 57% CAGR to 2030 according to the World Bank (2023), there is now an opportunity to accelerate the establishment of the supply chain in Australia. Asparagopsisseaweed cultivation and its development as a low emissions feed supplement is currently being supported by the Federal government through a grant to the industry group Australian Sustainable Seaweed Alliance (ASSA) until June 2025.

However, policy change and ongoing investment are needed from government if Australia is to establish itself as a global leader in this space and continue the current momentum towards establishing supply, reducing costs of production and accelerating uptake of methane reducing livestock feed supplements. This is also important for Australia’s meat and dairy sectors as domestic and global expectations and demand for sustainable products increase.

Through my Nuffield scholarship project and travels, I have learned about different seaweed industries and R&D programs in other countries, policy approaches for decarbonization of agriculture and collaborative models for industry development.

This report outlines the key insights and recommendations for the emerging Australian seaweed industry.