The Australia red meat industry has committed to a Carbon Neutral target by 2030 (CN30) and breeding for lower methane-producing sheep is a strategy to work towards this target and beyond. In New South Wales, enteric methane production from ruminants is a major source (75%) of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

The Low Methane Sheep project will give sheep producers the option to genetically select for animals with lower enteric methane emissions, thus increasing their productivity. This project is a collaboration with NSW DPIRD, Meat & Livestock Australia, Agricultural Breeding and Genetics Unit and the University of New England, building on the previous data collected from the National Livestock Methane Program I (NLMP I).

Project Overview

The project will measure the amount of methane emissions and feed intake from individual sheep. The goal is to develop Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) to give producers the tools to genetically select for reduced emissions in combination with other production traits.

Researchers will develop a mobile field test for measuring methane emission on 10,000 sheep in research and breeder flocks. All animals will be genotyped which enables the ASBVs developed to be underpinned by genomic prediction.

The project determine the economic value of selecting for low methane emitting sheep and incorporate this into industry selection indexes allowing the industry to genetically improve sheep for low emission traits in balance with other important productivity and welfare traits.

Benefits to Industry

Sheep breeders and producers will benefit from this project by being able to select for a reduction in methane emissions, while continually improving productivity. The effects of selective for lower methane producing sheep will be permanent and cumulative, while continuing to boost production efficiency and product quality.