Fremantle Seaweed wins licence to sell methane-cutting seaweed to cattle farmers

Fremantle Seaweed has secured a FutureFeed licence that clears the way for commercial sales of its Reef4Beef Asparagopsis supplement to Australian cattle producers. The deal, paired with a new commercial-scale facility in Fremantle, moves the company closer to building a large-scale Western Australian supply chain for low-emissions livestock feed.

Why it matters: - The licence gives Fremantle Seaweed the right to sell Reef4Beef to dairy and feedlot producers across Australia's $26.2 billion beef cattle farming industry. - Reef4Beef is designed to help cattle farmers cut methane emissions without changing core feeding operations. - The agreement could help expand Australia’s supply of Asparagopsis-based feed as demand grows for lower-emissions livestock solutions.

What happened: - Fremantle Seaweed secured a licence from FutureFeed to supply its Reef4Beef feed supplement. - FutureFeed is a CSIRO-established company that holds global IP for Asparagopsis seaweed as a livestock feed ingredient. - The company said the ingredient has been shown to reduce ruminant methane emissions by 80%. - The announcement follows Fremantle Seaweed’s acquisition of Western Australia’s first commercial-scale Asparagopsis hatchery and processing facility at 20 Mews Road in Fremantle.

The details: - Fremantle Seaweed can now expand Reef4Beef from its existing 32-hectare farm at Derbal Nara in Cockburn Sound to a proposed 160-hectare marine lease. - The Fremantle site will also support onshore production at 20 Mews Road. - Together, the licence and facility position Fremantle Seaweed to build what the company describes as Western Australia’s largest integrated Asparagopsis supply chain. - Fremantle Seaweed has grown Asparagopsis in Cockburn Sound since 2023. - The company has raised $4 million in seed funding, backed by a $4 million grant from the WA Government's Investment Attraction Fund. - Fremantle Seaweed expects its first two planned ocean farms to produce up to 576 tonnes of Reef4Beef a year. - The company says that output would supply 25,000 head of cattle. - The West Australian feedlot sector is expected to be the first customer base. - The company says the product will be supplied on spec and backed by a rigorous quality assurance program. More information

Between the lines: - The licence is a commercial milestone, not just a research or pilot-stage step. - Control of both cultivation and processing gives Fremantle Seaweed more of the supply chain, which could improve consistency and scale. - FutureFeed’s backing also gives the product a clearer route into the Australian livestock market. - Chris De Cuyper, co-founder and managing director of Fremantle Seaweed, said the company can now put the product directly into the hands of Australian cattle farmers. - Alex Baker, CEO of FutureFeed, said expanded Australian production should help more livestock producers access high-quality Asparagopsis products as demand grows.

What's next: - Fremantle Seaweed plans to move from propagation and ocean cultivation into commercial sales. - The company is working toward commercial supply across Australia. - The company will also continue building its integrated Western Australian supply chain around the Fremantle facility and planned ocean farms. - Fremantle Seaweed said the longer-term goal is to support emissions cuts across the national cattle herd.

The bottom line: - Fremantle Seaweed now has both the licence and the infrastructure to begin commercializing Reef4Beef at scale in Australia.