Australian Government researchers are investigating microbes found in the stomach of kangaroos in a bid to reduce emissions from livestock.

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries research is part of a wider program to reduce emissions from livestock in Australia, which is estimated at more than 60 million tonnes per annum.

Unlike livestock, kangaroos emit very little methane. The researchers aim to isolate the bacteria in kangaroo that prevent the production of methane and determine whether they could be used to reduce emissions from sheep and cattle.

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is one benefit of the research. For industry, better utilisation of native pastures by livestock will mean greater efficiency in animal production.

The research aims to create a win-win scenario - improving returns for farmers by promoting faster growth of meat and wool and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that impact on the environment.

The Department of Primary Industries' Agency for Food and Fibre Sciences researchers, at the Animal Research Institute in Brisbane, had isolated 40 bacteria from the eastern grey kangaroo.

Each bacteria is being screened to determine which are efficient at digesting Mitchell Grass, an important native pasture plant in central and northern Queensland. The bacteria successfully identified will then be grown in the laboratory and introduced to cattle and sheep using a drench gun.