Christmas came early for scientists at Teagasc’s Athenry campus in Co Galway, with the delivery a few weeks ago of a trailer-mounted set of 12 portable accumulation chambers to measure methane emissions from sheep. “We’re going to look at the methane impact of genetic indexes and diet type,” said researcher Fiona McGovern.
Like all ruminants, sheep generate methane in their rumen and belch it into the atmosphere, adding to the emissions of greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
The EPA estimated this to represent 670,000t of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2016 – much smaller than cattle’s 10mt, but still a challenge for the sheep industry as climate policy becomes stricter.
The first step in Teagasc’s research is to calibrate the chambers to make sure they provide accurate measurements. This will be done over the first four to five months in association with Northern Ireland’s AFBI, who have initial measurements of methane emissions from Irish sheep using different equipment.
The INZAC research flock will be used to conduct the research. \ Darren Carty
Teagasc will then use Athenry’s Suffolk and Texel INZAC flock, which has been monitored on a long-term basis for the influence of genetic selection, and study the methane output of different animals. This can only start after next spring’s lambing because pregnant ewes should not be put in the chambers.
Researchers will track emissions from two groups of ewes, one rated one-star and the other five-star on the Sheep Ireland replacement sheep index. “We will run them through the portable accumulation chambers and look at their grass intake and methane output,” said McGovern.
In addition to existing data collection on health, ewe and lamb weight and performance, and lambing difficulty, the research flock will now provide information on feed intake, feed digestibility, rumen microbial profile and methane output. “Primarily, we want to determine the link between methane output and genetics,” said McGovern. “But because methane output is directly related to feed intake and rumen function, we’ll look at these as well.” Initial results will appear after a full year, and measurements in the following years will verify whether they can be repeated. Ultimately, researchers want to find out what impact choosing higher genetic merit animals will have on a farm’s carbon footprint. “It may not seem important now, but we think it will have an impact in EU and national legislation,” said McGovern. The research is also expected to reveal any existing links between genetic merit and feed efficiency.
New portable accumulation chambers to be used by Teagasc to measure methane emissions from sheep in Athenry, Co Galway. \ Darren Carty
The Athenry research is part of the Teagasc-led Greenbreed project, for which Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed in July announced €3m in funding over the next four years.
Greenbreed extends across dairy, beef and sheep, and aims to reduce the environmental footprint of cattle and sheep farming through breeding.
The project targets not only methane, but also nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas, the air pollutant ammonia, and nitrates at risk of leeching into water sources.
Greenbreed objectives include the combination of environmental and economic performance.
For the sheep part of the project, Teagasc is collaborating with UCD, AFBI, and Sheep Ireland.
Read more
Breeding healthier sheep with lower greenhouse gas emissions
How are farm greenhouse gas emissions measured?
Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture increased in 2017
Environment: what we know about methane
Christmas came early for scientists at Teagasc’s Athenry campus in Co Galway, with the delivery a few weeks ago of a trailer-mounted set of 12 portable accumulation chambers to measure methane emissions from sheep. “We’re going to look at the methane impact of genetic indexes and diet type,” said researcher Fiona McGovern.
Like all ruminants, sheep generate methane in their rumen and belch it into the atmosphere, adding to the emissions of greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
The EPA estimated this to represent 670,000t of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2016 – much smaller than cattle’s 10mt, but still a challenge for the sheep industry as climate policy becomes stricter.
The first step in Teagasc’s research is to calibrate the chambers to make sure they provide accurate measurements. This will be done over the first four to five months in association with Northern Ireland’s AFBI, who have initial measurements of methane emissions from Irish sheep using different equipment.
The INZAC research flock will be used to conduct the research. \ Darren Carty
Teagasc will then use Athenry’s Suffolk and Texel INZAC flock, which has been monitored on a long-term basis for the influence of genetic selection, and study the methane output of different animals. This can only start after next spring’s lambing because pregnant ewes should not be put in the chambers.
Researchers will track emissions from two groups of ewes, one rated one-star and the other five-star on the Sheep Ireland replacement sheep index. “We will run them through the portable accumulation chambers and look at their grass intake and methane output,” said McGovern.
In addition to existing data collection on health, ewe and lamb weight and performance, and lambing difficulty, the research flock will now provide information on feed intake, feed digestibility, rumen microbial profile and methane output. “Primarily, we want to determine the link between methane output and genetics,” said McGovern. “But because methane output is directly related to feed intake and rumen function, we’ll look at these as well.” Initial results will appear after a full year, and measurements in the following years will verify whether they can be repeated. Ultimately, researchers want to find out what impact choosing higher genetic merit animals will have on a farm’s carbon footprint. “It may not seem important now, but we think it will have an impact in EU and national legislation,” said McGovern. The research is also expected to reveal any existing links between genetic merit and feed efficiency.
New portable accumulation chambers to be used by Teagasc to measure methane emissions from sheep in Athenry, Co Galway. \ Darren Carty
The Athenry research is part of the Teagasc-led Greenbreed project, for which Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed in July announced €3m in funding over the next four years.
Greenbreed extends across dairy, beef and sheep, and aims to reduce the environmental footprint of cattle and sheep farming through breeding.
The project targets not only methane, but also nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas, the air pollutant ammonia, and nitrates at risk of leeching into water sources.
Greenbreed objectives include the combination of environmental and economic performance.
For the sheep part of the project, Teagasc is collaborating with UCD, AFBI, and Sheep Ireland.
Read more
Breeding healthier sheep with lower greenhouse gas emissions
How are farm greenhouse gas emissions measured?
Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture increased in 2017
Environment: what we know about methane
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