Bringing home the breeding tools

blog by Sam Boon, AHDB Signet

I am the third leg. The third leg of the relay that is delivering Breed for CH4nge to the UK sheep industry. Ahead of me were data collectors, out on farms across the country measuring thousands of sheep and passing this information to teams of researchers. The researchers have identified how each trait influences methane production in commercial sheep flocks and the genetic relationships that exist between them.

As leg three, I am responsible for using these research findings to develop breeding values for methane production and will launch a new breeding index developed by the project to identify those breeding lines that have the genetic potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the national flock.

Now the research and development phase of the project is completed  I look forward to talking to leg four, the ram breeders and commercial ram buyers that will be using this information to meet the industry’s environmental breeding goals, lifting flock efficiency and profitability at the same time. 

You can hear more about the project at Sheep Breeders Roundtable in November. Register at: https://ahdb.org.uk/events/sheep-breeders-round-table-2026