This presentation forms part of the Farming Futures workshop 'Making livestock farming fit for the future'. 9th December 2009

1. Cows and sheep produce meat and
milk and wool and leather….,
Oh and methane !!
Dr Duncan Pullar, EBLEX

2. Climate change:
Latest (2007) IPCC report:
• ‘Warming of the climate system is
unequivocal…’
• Most of the observed increase in globally
averaged temperatures since the mid-20th
century is very likely [over 90% certainty]
due to the observed increase in
anthropogenic greenhouse gas
concentrations

3. Climate change…
• Temperature increase of 0.74ºC in last 100
years
• 11 of last 12 years have been the warmest
on record
• Warming of oceans
• Faster than average warming in Arctic

5. Quick guide to
terminology
GHGs = greenhouse gas emissions
CO2 Equivalents
CO2 the main GHG but…
…others also important CO2eq for food
especially
• Methane 21 x greater global warming potential than CO2
• Nitrous oxide 296 x greater global warming potential than CO2
• Refrigerant gases thousands of times greater than CO2

6. GHG production 85% of this
GHG Total UK from rumen
UK Agricultural
fermentation
emissions as M t emissions as M t
of CO2eq of CO2eq
CO2 554 <0.1 (<1%)
CH4 49.4 18.4 (37%)
N2O 37.8 25 (66%)
Total 641.9 43.5 (7%)
CO2eq 70% of this from
livestock farming

7. Approximate make up of
CO2 eq for beef/sheep
Carbon dioxide
Nitrous Oxide
Methane

8. UK Cattle numbers
0.6M replacements 0.3M replacements
0.1M beef x females
2.0M Dairy cows 1.6M Suckler cows
2.0M annual slaughter
0.5M Hol 0.3M beef x males
0.7M males 0.4M females
males 0.2M beef x females

9. UK Sheep Industry Structure
0.1.5M replacements
1.4M replacements
0.2M replacements
5.8M Hill ewes
4.6M mules
+ other ½ bred
4.7M Term x &
½ bred ewes
14 M lamb slaughter
4.2 M terminal
2.8M Hill 7.0 M term x 1.9 M
x half bred
lambs lambs cull ewes
lambs

10. Cows and sheep produce methane

11. Rumen Microbiology
Plant energy sources Microbe
(polysaccharides e.g cellulose) Sugars
action (6 C)
2H2 Pyruvate
(3 C) Lactate
CO2 (3C)
CH4 Propionate
Acetate 3C
Methane Butyrate
(2 C) 4C

12. GWP of Beef and Lamb
UK UK Pork Chicken Potato
Beef Lamb
GWP t CO2 Eq 13.9 14.6 4.0 2.7 0.15
Primary energy 31.3 22 23.3 16.9 1.4
use GJ/t
BUT Defra require 11%
there are good reasons
We certainly have abeef fromlamb…
to produce
reduction and
PR challenge!! get more efficient
and we can by 2020
current

13. Sheep GWP100 CO2 eq
Baseline -11% 2020 target
GWP100 kg GWP100 kg
CO2 eq/ kg CO2 eq/ kg
Hill 18.44 16.41
Upland 16.62 14.79
Lowland 13.82 12.30

14. Beef GWP100 CO2 eq
Baseline -11% 2020 target
GWP100 kg GWP100 kg
CO2 eq/ kg CO2 eq/ kg
Lowland 17.12 15.24
suckler
Hill/ Upland 16.98 15.11
suckler
Dairy beef 10.97 9.76

15. We know how to improve!!
1. Increase feed efficiency
2. Increase fertility
3. Increase longevity
AND this will also improve your margins!

16. Herd efficiency improvements to
achieve a 11% saving in GWP100
0.4
0.35
Increase in
liveweight 0.3
gain (kg/day)
0.25
0.2
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12
Increase in calves per cow

17. Flock efficiency improvements to
achieve a 11% saving in GWP100
35
30
25
Increase in
growth rate % 20
15
10
5
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2
Additional lambs per ewe

18. Select better animals
•Feed utilisation efficiency is heritable
•Productivity (milk production and meat
growth) are heritable
•Fertility, Disease Resistance and Longevity
are heritable

19. Change the type of feed
Feed ME MJ/kg DM CP g/100g DM
Maize Grain 14.3 10.0
Field Beans 13.8 29.0
Increasing digestibility
Wheat Distillers' Grains 13.5 32.0
Barley grain 13.2 12.1
Oats 12.2 11.0
Maize Silage 13.0 8.0
Grass silage 9-11 12-16
Hay 8.0 12.0
Straw 6.0 2.0

20. Change the feed quality
High Sugar Ryegrass
Lower protein Clover

21. Change the feed quality
Manage sward
height effectively

22. DM yield and ME changes
with time/date
DM yield kg/ha
ME/ kg DM
10000 11.5
9000
11
8000
7000 10.5
6000
ME/kg DM
kg DM/ ha
10
5000
9.5
4000
3000 9
2000
8.5
1000
0 8
20-Apr 30-Apr 10-May 20-May 30-May 09-Jun
Cutting Date

23. Manage resources better
Natural resources
Soil, climate, feed production
Animal resources
Breed and cross
Match genetics to resources
System Choices
When to calve/ lamb
When to house (or not)

24. Conclusions
• Cattle and sheep produce valuable products for
human consumption but at a GHG “cost”
• The GHG cost can be reduced considerably if
we apply what we already know
• There are large areas of the UK which cannot
reasonably produce food for people unless
cattle (or sheep) are the vehicle
• Unless consumer behaviour changes reducing
production at home will simply export the
problem

25. Conclusions
• As an industry we have to OWN this issue.
• We can and should make a contribution to
reducing the C footprint of production
• We should robustly defend the role of ruminants
in food production, habitat management and
landscape management.
• EBLEX are working on a Beef and Lamb
roadmap to put these elements into context.