About the project

This project is led by Postdoctoral Researcher Fiona McGovern, Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Ireland

Breeding can be a cost-effective way of reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions from sheep, by direct selection for CH4 emissions or indirectly through improved productivity. Currently there is under-adoption of these measures as benefits are not captured by the market. Sustain Sheep builds on the successful Joint Call ERA-Net project GrassToGas and will create infrastructure for incorporation of low environmental impact into national breeding schemes that dovetails into the IPCC inventory. Sustain Sheep is unique as all partner countries (Ireland, United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Norway and Uruguay) have invested in the same CH4 measurement technology (Portable Accumulation Chambers).

Sustain Sheep will 1) review the current scientific status of the potential to breed sheep for reduced CH4 emissions, 2) investigate genetics of CH4 emission and feed efficiency and model the mitigation potential from breeding and give recommendations for new breeding goals, 3) forecast uptake rates, cost and abatement of breeding for reduced CH4 emissions and 4) determine the best mechanism for dissemination and implementation of project result to maximize stakeholder involvement.

In Norway, genetic and genomic analyses of data from the Norwegian Sheep Recording System and the genomic reference population recorded for CH4 emission will be undertaken. Machine learning to investigate relationships between GHG emission, ewe live weight and feed intake will be applied and validated. The expected response to selection for breeding goals including enteric CH4 and/or feed efficiency will be predicted using a digital twin of the Norwegian sheep breeding scheme and data from the project, and the effect on emission intensities (kg CO2-equivalents per kg product) will be investigated using a whole-farm model. The impact of alternative breeding goals on GHG emissions at national level will be quantified using IPCC methodology.

Participants

External participants

• TEAGASC - Agriculture and Food Development Authority, TEAGASC, Ireland
• Sheep Ireland CLG, Sheep Ireland, Ireland
• SCUC
• AgResearch, AGRES, New Zealand
• INRA - UMR 1388 GenPhySE, INRA GenPhySE, France
• NSG – Norsk Sau og Geit
• National Agriculture Research Institue, INIA, Uruguay