Grazing industrial hemp

Charles Sturt University’s Associate Professor Gaye Krebs said industrial hemp was an emerging crop that showed great potential but more information was needed about its potential for grazing.

“Hemp is a fast-growing, water-efficient annual crop that can be grown in a number of Australian states under strict licence conditions for seeds and fibre,” Prof Krebs said.

“A pilot study carried out at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga identified potential for the crop to be used in livestock feed.

“But it also highlighted the need for more information, particularly around residues of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in meat.”

Industrial hemp contains low levels of the psychoactive compound and under current regulations no detectable THC should enter the food market through animal products.

DPIRD project lead Dr Bronwyn Blake said globally there was very little research about the breakdown of THC in sheep and cattle and how long it remained in tissue after animals were fed industrial hemp.

“Our research aims to fill in some of those knowledge gaps to provide the information needed by regulators to allow the crop to be grazed by animals destined for the food chain,” Dr Blake said.

Prof Krebs said the research would build on the findings of the 2020 pilot study.

“In this new study we will investigate the feed value and potential for residues in meat from feeding green plant material, as opposed to the crop residue, or stubble, that was used in the pilot study,” she said.

“We will also begin pharmacokinetics studies to get an understanding of how long it may take the THC residues to be cleared from the meat and the animal.

“The pilot study compared feeding pellets where the roughage component was either from industrial hemp or straw.

“It showed there was no difference in feed intake between the groups but the sheep fed the hemp pellets had improved nutrient utilisation.”