CSIRO researchers have found a way to measure methane emissions from sheep by analyzing carbon isotopes in their wool. The method offers a low cost alternative to expensive on farm methane sensors and could help verify low carbon claims in the wool supply chain. The work started when menswear brand MJ Bale discovered that 52 percent of the carbon footprint of a wool suit comes from sheep methane and needed a way to prove reductions from seaweed feed supplements were real. The technique relies on the fact that when a sheep produces less methane, it retains more light carbon isotopes in its wool. That isotopic shift can be read in a lab sample without any equipment on the farm. The CSIRO team is now looking for industry partners to bring the method to market. If it scales, it could give wool buyers and carbon credit programs a cheap way to verify low methane claims without expensive on farm sensors.
