A new international project creating knowledge and infrastructure to incorporate genetic merit for low environmental impact traits into national breeding schemes for sheep is being led by Teagasc, with the support of Sheep Ireland.
Teagasc has received funding for the project from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) under the Green ERAHUB funding programme.
Key sheep breeding nations, including New Zealand, Scotland, Norway, France and Uruguay, are joint partners on the project.
It aims to provide a platform for national and global comparison of methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the purpose of selective breeding for lower-emitting animals.
Lower methane-emitting sheep
Building on existing and previous project collaborations nationally and internationally, the project uses portable accumulation chambers across all countries for individual animal methane measurements.
In Ireland, performance-recorded animals from the research flock at Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway and the Sheep Ireland Central Progeny Test flocks are participating in the research.Â
Methane measurement using the portable accumulation chambers is well established at Teagasc, while GreenFeed technology for measuring methane is now in its early stages.
However, focusing solely on methane reduction could undermine profit traits, so balancing its economic value within a multi-trait breeding programme is necessary, according to Teagasc.
Crucial to the project is understanding the impacts of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) on other animal characteristics, such as growth, feed intake and efficiency, and quantifying these effects.
The knowledge generated will provide a comprehensive list of recommendations for breeding programmes to be determined in tandem with the economic implications of selecting for low methane sheep.Â
In Ireland and other countries, Teagasc has said that research has shown that genetic improvement can be used as a means to meet policy targets for lower GHG emissions.
The science from this project is expected to provide a mechanism for national and global comparisons to underpin governmental GHG reduction targets for the successful implementation of science into policy.
It aims to also encourage farmers to use genetic improvement as a means to reduce GHG emissions from one generation to the next.