State of Science webinar: breeding low-emitting cattle

Questions and Answers [PDF, 362 KB]

In a major step forward, New Zealand breeders can now measure and rank their sheep based on their methane emissions, thanks to a decade of research funded by the NZAGRC and the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium. Our sheep breeding programme is unique and New Zealand scientists are now turning their sights to achieving similar results in cattle.

In a 2021 NZAGRC State of Science webinar, Lorna McNaughton from LIC (Livestock Improvement Corporation) and Suzanne Rowe from AgResearch discussed their work to develop a breeding programme for low-emitting dairy cattle. Lorna talked about the development of a new programme to measure methane in young bulls at LIC and CRV – animals that will parent the next generation of dairy cattle in New Zealand. Suzanne talked about transferring technology developed for sheep to help overcome the challenges involved with measuring methane and genetic variation in large numbers of animals.

For more information, please contact enquiry@nzagrc.org.nz