Reducing livestock methane emissions has become such a pressing issue for agriculture that the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is taking up the cause.

And it is doing so in collaboration with Queen's University Belfast (QUB).

The university is participating in a research project that aims to increase livestock productivity and identify the right animal traits for breeding programmes in order to reduce methane emissions.

The coordinated research project will involve the IAEA and the use of nuclear tools, with the target of breeding stronger and healthier livestock.

These animals will be able to produce more meat and milk and provide a steady food supply which will reduce the intensity of methane.

According to the IAEA, methane emissions can serve as an indicator of metabolic efficiency.

"Animals that produce more methane per unit of feed consumed generally have lower feed conversion efficiency," it said. 

The main aim of the research to advise countries on the use of nuclear tools to improve livestock breeding and strengthen food security have a direct knock-on effect on methane emissions.

Farmers will be provided with go-to advice on best breeding practices for best dietary interventions and also on how to optimise productivity.

Farming benefits

Professor in animal science and microbiology, and QUB team lead for the project, Sharon Huws, spoke to Agriland about the benefits this research will have to farm productivity.

According to Prof. Huws, the research will feed into global policies that will make ultimately make farming more profitable while remaining environmentally conscious.

She highlighted the pressures agricultural communities are facing in terms of population growth, rising demand for animal-source foods, and climate change.

Prof Huws said: “Agriculture is at the centre of communities and it always has been.

"We have a major pressure really to make sure that we are as sustainable as we can be.

This research, which aims to improve animal health and breed livestock with optimal features will “ultimately put pounds in pockets,” according to the professor.

“And because that means that, then per kilogram of milk or meat produced, you're reducing the intensity of methane when it's expressed as product produced," she said.

Methane

Huws outlines that targeting methane without any incentives in place creates massive issues for farmers as they do not benefit from them at all.

She said: “It's a major global challenge and there are numerous policies across the world, you know, requiring us to reduce methane from animals.

“Governments are on for carbon credit schemes and things of that nature, but ultimately, no farmer will put anything in place that isn't viable for the business.

"This why this research is so important for the future of farming; if farmers can ensure productive and health livestock then they can reduce herd numbers."

Research

Queen’s is tasked with providing expert guidance on 'Nutritional and Rumen Microbiome-Based Phenotyping of Livestock Productivity and Methane Mitigation Traits', throughout the five-year project.

The aim is to advise farmers on best breeding practices for ruminants, best dietary interventions and also on how to optimise rumen microbiome for productivity.

The QUB team will be led by Prof. Huws and co-led by Dr. Katerina Theodoridou.

They will work alongside Dr. Kayley Barnes from the Institute for Global Food Security and School of Biological Sciences at QUB.

Dr. Barnes said: “Queen’s will provide expertise on the differences between microbial communities in the rumen, which is the largest and first compartment of the stomach in cud-chewing animals.”