Morrisons has partnered with Sea Forest, an Earthshot finalist and science-based environmental technology company, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle.
Sea Forest will work exclusively with Myton Food Group, Morrisons’ manufacturing arm, to supply SeaFeeD, its methane-abating livestock feed to help fast-track the introduction of lower-carbon beef products such as mince, burgers, steaks, and joints in Morrisons.
Approval for the process is being worked through, but if successful, customers will see products on the shelf in Morrisons by 2026. The partnership has supported Morrison's ambition to achieve net zero agriculture emissions from its directly supplied farms by 2030.
Finalists for The Earthshot Prize, a prestigious award launched by Prince William in 2020, Sea Forest has already collaborated with Australian burger chain Grill’d* to introduce a beef burger made from grass-fed black Angus cattle that produces 67 percent fewer methane emissions.
When the SeaFeed product is included as a small fraction of the animals’ diet (approximately 0.5 percent), it has been scientifically proven to reduce methane production without impacting the taste or quality of beef.
“As British farming's biggest direct customer, we are well placed to support the farmers we work with and help them farm more sustainably. This partnership supports our ambition to have net zero agriculture emissions by 2030,” said Sophie Throup, Technical and Sustainability Director at Myton Food Group for Morrisons.
“Having our livestock experts with direct relationships with farmers enables us to make changes quickly, meaning that once our trial is complete and we have approvals in place, we can develop our lower carbon beef products and help support the drive to lower emissions from cattle.”
Sam Elsom, CEO of Sea Forest, said that distributing this methane-busting solution to reduce livestock methane emissions to one of the UK's most respected retailers and food producers was a tremendous milestone for Sea Forest.
“SeaFeed has the potential to sustainably feed the planet while tackling one of the most challenging pieces of the climate puzzle. Our trials with beef, dairy and wool producers across Australia and New Zealand have demonstrated excellent results. We are delighted to partner with Morrisons to make a meaningful impact on climate change internationally.”
The partnership has been the latest step in an innovative research programme by Morrisons and Queen’s University Belfast, investigating the use of seaweed to reduce methane production in cattle.
Professor Sharon Huws, Director of Research, Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security (IGF), was delighted to be working closely with Morrisons and Sea Forest to provide the scientific evidence underpinning the journey towards net zero in the Morrisons beef chain.
“Innovation is at the centre of the IGFS ethos, and this collaboration is an essential example of how our research translates into impact for the sector and our planet's health”.
Morrisons has been committed to introducing sustainable products across all business areas through lower emissions sourcing and reducing the amount of plastic used. Last year, it became the first supermarket to introduce its carbon-neutral egg.
