About the project

This project is led by Professor Joanne Conington, Agriculture Horticulture And Engineering Sciences, Beef & Sheep Research Center Scotland's Rural College

GrassToGas combines international scientific and industry expertise to develop new solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from pasture-based sheep production, with a particular focus on enteric methane (CH₄). The project investigates how genetic, nutritional, and environmental factors influence feed efficiency and methane production in sheep. Standardized measurements of CH₄ emissions, feed intake, and feed efficiency are used to develop improved breeding strategies that can lead to lasting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

NMBU contributes with animal experiments where two different sheep breeds, the Old Norwegian Spæl Sheep (GNS) and the modern Norwegian White Sheep (NKS), are fed different grass and pasture qualities. The results show that both breed and forage quality affect CH₄ emissions, with GNS producing lower emissions than NKS per kg body weight. Studies of microbiota and digestive physiology reveal possible links between feeding, rumen flora, rumen size, and methane production.

GrassToGas contributes to new knowledge on how breeding and feeding strategies can reduce methane emissions from sheep. The results can be implemented in breeding programs and production strategies, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from sheep by 1–3% annually. This knowledge will support the development of more sustainable sheep production systems worldwide.

• Background

  More than 30% of the Earth’s total land mass is used for grazing livestock, mainly ruminants, largely due to geographical constraints on arable production. Ruminants can convert forage to animal products (milk, meat, fibre), but with enteric methane (CH4) as a by-product. Sheep account for approximately 6.4% of global livestock enteric CH4 production. Selective breeding is in general a cost-effective strategy that could lead to permanent and cumulative reduction is greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), through improvement of traits such as feed efficiency and CH4 production.

• Objective

  The aim of GrasToGas is to combine international scientific and industry expertiseto generate new knowledge and applied solutions for the mitigation of GHG emissions in sheep. GrassToGas will identify individual animal, feed and environmental attributes associated with feed and water intake efficiency for pasture-based sheep production systems. The potential impact would be relevant for the mitigation of GHG emissions within 5 - 10 years and beyond, by the application of the results from this project into sheep breeding programmes designed to produce cumulative reductions of GHG emissions of around 1-3% p.a.

Participants

Participants at NMBU

External participants

• Jette Jakobsen, avlsforsker NSG Norsk Sau og Geit
• Martin Opheim Gløersen. rådgiver sau, NSG Norsk Sau og Geit
• SRUC
• INRA - UMR 1388 GenPhySE, INRA GenPhySE, France
• National Agriculture Research Institue, INIA, Uruguay
• AgResearch, AGRES, New Zealand
• Sheep Ireland CLG, Sheep Ireland, Ireland
• TEAGASC - Agriculture and Food Development Authority, TEAGASC, Ireland
• Republic of Turkiye ministry of Agriculture and Forestru International Center for Research and Training