Rumin8 raises $12 million for methane-reducing feed additive

The Australian start-up Rumin8 has raised $12 million in seed funding to test whether naturally occurring compounds can be fed to cattle to reduce the methane emitted in their burps. The investment, led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, will fund Rumin8’s commercial trials in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and the US, as well as a pilot manufacturing facility. The trials in New Zealand and Brazil have already begun. Last year, DSM received approval to use the methane-reducing feed additive 3-nitrooxypropanol in the European Union, and California approved Blue Ocean Barns’ methane-reducing additive, which is made from red seaweed.