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Could this calf hold the key to reducing methane emissions?

A breeding project by Paragon Vets, bovine reproduction company Semex and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) aims to breed highly methane-efficient cattle through selective breeding, using IVF, to support net-zero targets

Credit: Phil Wilkinson / SRUC

Hilda may look like an ordinary calf, but this groundbreaking youngster marks an historic step towards a net-zero future. She is the first calf produced in a project with the aim of breeding dairy cows which can help reduce global warming by emitting less methane.

And she is attracting international media attention.

“As far as we know this is the first time this has been done,” said Rob Simmons, the Cumbrian vet who is co-leading the initiative.

“Hilda is the first animal we are aware of that has been selectively bred specifically for improved methane efficiency. There has been no genetic modification carried out in her breeding, only the selected mating of the best bulls and dams we could find.”

The project, called Cool Cows, is run by a partnership consisting of Paragon Veterinary Group in Cumbria, the bovine reproduction company Semex and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).

Hilda was born into the college’s research herd in Dumfries.

The aim is to breed highly methane-efficient cattle through selective breeding, using IVF to speed up the process of getting the calves on the ground, said Rob, who is a Paragon Veterinary Group director and lead vet in its advanced breeding division based at Newbiggin near Penrith.

Cattle emit the greenhouse gas methane, mostly in burps, as part of their normal physiology, with some individuals naturally producing less than others. By breeding from the lowest emitting animals, the trait can be replicated.

Hilda’s mother, and her father, a bull in the US, were selected because tests show they are among the most methane-efficient cattle in the world today.

By using IVF, in-vitro fertilisation, to fertilise eggs from her mother earlier than she would have been able to establish a pregnancy, and implanting the resulting embryo into an older surrogate cow in the herd, Hilda was able to be born eight months earlier than she would naturally.

Paragon, which carried out the IVF procedure, has an international reputation in the field and pioneered the development of bovine IVF in the UK.

Rob said: “We are delighted to help develop and deliver this important project to support sustainability in the dairy sector.

“Genetic improvement in methane efficiency has a role to play in continuing to provide nutritious food to the public, while controlling the impact of methane emissions on the environment in the future.”

Cattle are already being measured for characteristics which make them more environmentally friendly, and a new measure has now been introduced assessing them for methane efficiency too, said Rob.

“The reason we use IVF is it allows us to produce more calves from the best animals faster,” said Rob.

“Hilda is now six or seven weeks old. In another six months’ time she might be an egg donor herself to produce the next generation, if she scores highly for methane efficiency.”

Since Hilda arrived, two more calves have already been born as part of the programme.

“We will be carrying out assessments of each generation to make sure we are making progress. SRUC have machines which can measure the amount of methane animals produce so we can use them to quantify the improvement,” said Rob.

The idea for Cool Cows came about at the end of 2023 when Rob visited the SRUC and got talking with some of the genetics experts there.

The project uses the college’s Langhill dairy herd which has been used for scientific research for 50 years.

Paragon carried out collections of eggs from cows last year and did the IVF and embryo production work in its specialist lab at Newbiggin near Penrith, before returning to Dumfries to transfer the embryos into cows.

Rob said: “The role of agriculture in climate change is often overstated but we know methane is a quite potent greenhouse gas – but it is short-lived in the atmosphere.

“This means any changes we can make in reducing the amount produced can have a significant effect, and can have an impact on global cooling.”

SRUC’s project lead, Professor Richard Dewhurst, said: “The birth of Hilda is potentially a hugely significant moment for the UK dairy industry.

“With global consumption of dairy produce continuing to grow, breeding livestock for sustainability is extremely important.

“We will use a new genomic assessment alongside existing production and environmental efficiency indices to select elite, methane-efficient heifers for breeding.

“The Cool Cows project will produce a greater number of offspring from these donors, rapidly establishing a nucleus of highly methane-efficient calves.”

Stuart Martin, Programme Director of Digital Dairy Chain, said: “We are very pleased to have supported this groundbreaking project.

“The birth of the first Cool Cows calf marks a significant milestone, promising significant results for the future of sustainable farming.”

The Cool Cows partnership received £335,000 from the Digital Dairy Chain’s Collaborative Research & Development Grant Competition. The competition is managed and awarded independently by the UK’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK.

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