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AgriZeroNZ chief executive Wayne McNee
AgriZeroNZ has invested a further NZ$17.7 million in methane vaccine developer ArkeaBio and NZ$5.1 million in BioLumic, a New Zealand-founded company that uses ultraviolet light to develop low-emissions pasture..
The public-private partnership says it has now invested more than $100 million since it was established in 2023, to speed up the development and deployment of tools that help farmers reduce emissions without compromising productivity or profitability.
AgriZeroNZ chief executive Wayne McNee says the milestone shows both the scale of innovation under way and the investment needed to turn promising science into practical tools for farmers.
“Reducing emissions while maintaining productivity, profitability and global competitiveness remains one of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand agriculture,” he says.
“Helping farmers meet that challenge requires practical emissions reduction tools and significant, sustained investment to get them to market. The progress we’re seeing across our portfolio gives us confidence there will be a range of tools available by 2030.”
AgriZeroNZ’s portfolio covers companies and research projects developing genetics, inhibitors, pasture, probiotics, vaccines and wearables. Some of the tools also show potential for productivity benefits on farm, it says.
The latest funding is AgriZeroNZ’s third investment in Boston-based ArkeaBio and its largest so far, bringing its total commitment to NZ$33.8 million.
The money is supporting trials in lactating dairy cows in New Zealand to generate the data needed for a regulatory submission. ArkeaBio is targeting a New Zealand launch in 2028.
The announcement says ArkeaBio is the first company to achieve proof of concept for a methane vaccine, with trials at Texas A&M University showing it can reduce methane emissions from cattle.
The recombinant protein vaccine works by prompting a cow’s immune system to produce natural antibodies that target methane-producing microbes in the rumen, part of the animal’s stomach. The company says this reduces the amount of methane released without disrupting the cow’s digestion.
ArkeaBio chief executive Frank Wooten says the new funding should take the company through to commercial launch.
“For our first vaccine, we’re targeting a methane reduction of around 15% that lasts for at least three months,” he says.
“We see a clear pathway to deliver greater methane reductions and longer-lasting impact, with the ultimate goal being a vaccine that lasts for 12 months.”
The company is also exploring whether the vaccine could be combined with other vaccines already commonly used on farm, which it says would make it easier for farmers to use.
AgriZeroNZ is doubling its investment in Palmerston North-based BioLumic, adding NZ$5.1 million to bring its total to NZ$10.6 million.
BioLumic uses precise UV light “recipes” to activate desirable traits in seeds, with no chemistry and no genetic modification. Its ryegrass programme is focused on increasing lipid concentration, building on a well-established link between higher-fat diets and lower methane emissions from livestock.
The company says it has already shown proof of concept by raising the lipid concentration of ryegrass. It is now targeting concentrations that modelling indicates could reduce methane emissions from grazing livestock by about 12.5 per cent.
The new funding will support further field trials of the ryegrass with major seed companies in New Zealand, Australia and Europe.
BioLumic chief science officer Jason Wargent says: “The real opportunity is helping farmers reduce methane emissions without changing the way they farm.
“We’re also developing productivity traits that lift metabolisable energy and dry matter into the same seed, so farmers can achieve both emissions reductions and productivity gains.”
BioLumic’s xTraits light-activation platform was recently named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, according to the announcement.
Both technologies remain in development. ArkeaBio’s vaccine still needs a regulatory submission, and BioLumic’s ryegrass is moving into further field trials. The methane reductions quoted are targets or modelling results, not outcomes measured on commercial farms.
McNee says AgriZeroNZ’s recent funding boost lets it make follow-on investments of this kind, supporting technologies through to commercialisation.
“These investments reflect the momentum we’re seeing, and we’re proud to support companies like BioLumic and ArkeaBio as they move towards bringing their solutions to market,” he says.
“Ultimately, it’s about giving New Zealand farmers choice. We want them to have a range of effective tools, so they can choose what works for their farm and keep earning the premium they deserve for their grass-fed milk and meat.”
Canterbury farmer Andy Macfarlane has been appointed to the board of AgriZeroNZ, the public-private partnership designed to accelerate the development and deployment of emissions reduction tools for New Zealand farmers.
AgriZeroNZ is ramping up efforts to accelerate the uptake of emissions reduction tools on farm with a new initiative to help more farmers put proven tools into practice.
A move to boost farmer uptake of low methane emitting sheep is underway.
A new joint investment of $1.2 million aims to accelerate farmer uptake of low-methane sheep genetics, one of the few emissions reduction tools available to New Zealand farmers.
AgriZeroNZ has invested $5.1 million in Australian company Rumin8 to accelerate development of its methane-reducing products for cattle and bring them to New Zealand.
Farmlands has reported higher operating earnings and a profit before income tax of $4.5 million, up 118.9%, for the year ended 30 June 2026.
AgriZeroNZ has invested a further NZ$17.7 million in methane vaccine developer ArkeaBio and NZ$5.1 million in BioLumic, a New Zealand-founded company that uses ultraviolet light to develop low-emissions pasture..
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