2 days ago
Scots scientists breeding sheep to make them FART less to be more eco-friendly
LITTLE BO PARP Scots scientists breeding sheep to make them FART less to be more eco-friendly
SHEEP are being bred to be kinder to the planet — by making them fart less.
A new research study is developing ways to identify farm animals who emit smaller amounts of gas, which can then be selected as part of breeding programmes.
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Flock of curious sheep
Credit: Getty
Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and the British Texel Sheep Society have teamed up with partners from other sheep-breeding nations to provide a platform for national and global comparison of methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
Around 450 hill sheep from SRUC's Hill and Mountain Research Centre near Loch Lomond are participating in the research, which will run until 2027.
Methane is a natural byproduct of the digestive process of ruminant animals, where microbes in the rumen ferment feed and produce methane as a waste product.
Globally, there are an estimated 1.2 billion sheep, producing around seven million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere.
The Sustain Sheep builds on research which suggests that, by exploiting the natural variation in methane emissions between individual sheep, selective breeding could reduce emissions by one to two per cent per year, without compromising genetic improvement in other traits.
The study uses portable accumulation chambers for individual animal methane measurements.
Dr Nicola Lambe, from SRUC, said: 'A crucial aspect of this project is understanding what impacts there might be of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) on other animal characteristics such as growth, feed intake and efficiency, and quantifying the effects of these.
'This will enable recommendations for breeding programmes to be determined in tandem with the economic implications of selecting for low-methane sheep.
'In the UK and other countries there is chronic under-adoption of genetic improvement as a means to meet policy targets for lower GHG emissions, and there are many barriers to taking up new outcomes from research by the sheep industry.
'The robust science from the project will provide a mechanism for national and global comparisons to underpin Governmental GHG reduction targets for the successful implementation of science into policy.'
Moment Scots family run away screaming & kids in tears as animal breaks into home
It is expected the research will provide tools and knowledge to help steer the direction of future breeding programmes and related government policies, so that UK sheep producers can see clear benefits from reducing methane emissions from their flocks.
John Yates, of the British Texel Sheep Society, the largest pedigree sheep society in the UK, said: 'Methane measurement using Portable Accumulation Chambers (PACs) is still in its early stages, but if scalable and affordable, it could play a vital role in breeding programmes to support the government's net-zero target.'
Sustain Sheep is funded through the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation (R&I) programme.
