Thomas Lyons 
The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has announced the release of the first-ever enteric methane evaluations across breed on artificial insemination (AI) sires with phenotyped commercial progeny. The evaluations are the result of a joint effort between ICBF, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Teagasc. They are based on individual animal methane records from over 1,500 animals representing 19 different breeds. The data was collected from various projects, including Greenbreed, RumenPredict, and Master. The evaluations are expected to play a crucial role in reducing methane emissions from livestock and improving the sustainability of Irish farming.
According to the ICBF, methane evaluations will become an essential part of the broader effort to improve the sustainability of Irish farming. By providing farmers with methane data, they will be able to identify opportunities to reduce emissions and improve the sustainability of their enterprise. The evaluations will also help in mitigating climate change by reducing methane emissions, which are a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Research suggests that there are significant differences in daily methane emissions between animals fed the same diet. Genetic differences account for 11% of these differences. The ICBF has highlighted that methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential more than 25 times that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale. Methane emissions from livestock, particularly cows, are a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
The ICBF has detailed that large-scale recording programs are required to facilitate genetic selection for reduced emissions. The federation has started a large-scale recording program using a GreenFeed system, which captures cattle’s breath and analyses the gases for trace constituents, including methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The Tully centre slaughters 650 animals (steers, bulls and heifers) annually, which includes 55% suckler-bred and 45% from dairy dams. The federation believes that breeding programs to reduce daily methane emissions will be fruitful, especially when undertaken in tandem with the national genomic evaluations for age at slaughter released last year.
The ICBF is confident that genetics will play an essential role in reducing methane emissions. Selective breeding and genetic modification approaches offer promising solutions for producing cows that are less methane-intensive and more environmentally friendly. Methane PTAs (Predicted Transmitting Ability figures) will be available for AI sires that have had progeny with methane data recorded in the Tully Progeny Performance Test Centre. The ICBF wants to collaborate with other research organizations to expand its database and include more systems of production, such as grass-based diets and lactating cows. This will result in more Methane PTAs becoming available for genotyped animals. The federation is now developing methods on how best to include a methane trait in the dairy (EBI), dairy-beef (DBI), and beef (Terminal and Replacement indices) that are currently being developed.
In conclusion, the ICBF’s new enteric methane evaluations are a significant step towards reducing methane emissions from livestock and improving the sustainability of Irish farming. The evaluations will provide farmers with methane data, allowing them to identify opportunities to reduce emissions and improve the sustainability of their enterprise. The ICBF is confident that genetics will play an essential role in reducing methane emissions, and selective breeding and genetic modification approaches offer promising solutions for producing cows that are less methane-intensive and more environmentally friendly. The federation is now developing methods on how best to include a methane trait in the dairy (EBI), dairy-beef (DBI), and beef (Terminal and Replacement indices) that are currently being developed.
