Abstract
Livestock production systems have a dual role not only in food production, but also in the provision of public good objectives including, biodiversity and landscape value. However, agriculture also generates external costs or negative public goods; specifically, diffuse pollution to air and water. Mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock is increasingly recognised as a necessary part of the UK’s overall climate change obligations. One of the tools available to mitigate GHG emissions is genetic selection. Genetic improvement of livestock is a particularly cost- effective technology, producing permanent and cumulative changes in performance. A recent study (Moran et al., 2007) has shown the very high value of animal and plant genetics research and development in helping to deliver on likely future policy priorities (public good rates of return ranging between 11-61%), including responding to global climate change and reducing the environmental impact of farming systems. Genetic evaluations of dairy cattle (funded by DairyCo), and of sheep and several selected beef cattle breeds (funded by Signet) are currently undertaken by Edinburgh Genetic Evaluation Services (EGENES) part of SAC, Edinburgh. These evaluations include a range of production and fitness-related traits in each species. The individual trait genetic evaluations are then published singly and combined with other traits in a selection index using index weights, many of which have been developed by SAC and partners. As a result, SAC have unrivalled experience in ruminant breeding goal construction and delivery. The genetic improvement in the UK has been shown to be worth many millions of pounds to the dairy, beef (23 million over 10 years) and sheep (29 million over 10 years) sectors (Amer et al., 2007). A recent Defra report (Genesis-Faraday, 2008; AC0204) estimated the impact of historic genetic improvement in selected traits (e.g. milk/meat output, growth efficiency) in UK livestock species on the GHG emissions from the production of the relevant agricultural commodity (e.g., a tonne of beef/sheep meat). On average, there was a 1% per year reduction in GHG production per unit food produced that could be attributed to genetic improvement. This study hypothesised that further reductions in GHG emissions could be achieved via genetic selection based on current indices and that this reduction could be increased if livestock breeding goals changed to consider environmental efficiency rather than economic efficiency. This project will examine the impact of past, current and future breeding goals in UK livestock populations on GHG emissions, quantifying and comparing the mitigation potential of each and their impact on system performance and profitability. The project will also examine how indices would change if the breeding goal shifted from economic efficiency to environmental efficiency, and the subsequent environmental and economic impact on the system. Finally, the project will examine how and what market incentives/policy drivers would be required to encourage livestock breeders to change their breeding goal.
United Kingdom