By Gary Hartley

Breeding greenhouse gas reductions into sheep stocks in the UK

A project to breed low-methane sheep has begun in the UK.

Research in New Zealand has suggested that methane production may be a heritable trait in Romney sheep. Now, breeders in Hertfordshire are putting the learnings to the test.

The work, which is funded by Innovate UK and sees Kaiapoi Farm teaming up with precision farming experts Agri-EPI Centre, aims to measure the methane output of rams and then breed from the lowest producers of the greenhouse gas.

Methane has a warming effect far more potent than carbon dioxide. Sheep produce around 22 grams of the gas every day, and with around 1.2 billion of them in the world at any given time, innovations in methane reduction are desirable.

Genetic links

The Kaiapoi Farm stock show genetic similarity with the sheep tested in New Zealand, which has led to hopes that emission reductions of up to 25% could be achieved using the approach.  

Emissions will be measured by holding the animals in a special chamber for an hour and then analysing the gas output.

“Valuable rams with high estimated breeding values (EBVs) may still be producing high levels of methane, but if we can breed a demonstrable reduction into the system, the potential for climate change mitigation and for the economic health of the sector is very strong indeed,” said Ross Robertson, head of mixed farming at Agri-EPI Centre.

Low emissions among desirable traits

The project will also explore the carbon storage effect of wool by increasing meat and wool yield, in order to reduce the amount of carbon produced per kilogram of meat.

 “We are looking for that needle in the haystack: a low-methane, parasite-resistant sheep with a high growth rate and high lambing rates,” added Rob Hodgkins from Kaiapoi Farm.

“As technology demonstrators, the more we breed successfully and test, the more we can determine the efficiencies gained by rearing cross-bred animals on a New Zealand system. There are hundreds of thousands of sheep this could be extended to across the UK.”

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