Beef + Lamb New Zealand unveils programme to breed feed-efficient, low-methane cattle

Beef + Lamb New Zealand launches a four-year project to develop genetic tools for breeding cattle that are more feed-efficient and emit less methane, aiming to advance sustainable livestock practices.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched a four-year programme to build breeding tools for beef cattle that are more feed efficient and potentially lower in methane emissions.

According to the industry body, the Cool Beef project will collect data on the links between feed intake, methane output and production traits, with the aim of improving future genetic evaluations for Angus, Hereford and crossbred cattle. The work is being funded by the Ag Emissions Centre and was unveiled at Te Mania Angus in north Canterbury.

The programme follows earlier B+LNZ genetics work, including Informing New Zealand Beef and the Beef Progeny Test. B+LNZ chair Kate Acland said the research is designed to give breeders better information for future selection decisions.

The centre’s executive director, Dr Naomi Parker, said the initiative forms part of a wider portfolio of low-methane livestock genetics research, alongside sheep and dairy. That broader effort has already advanced the Cool Sheep programme, which has used Portable Accumulation Chambers to measure emissions and make low-methane genetics available to farmers.

Over the next four years, researchers will measure at least 2,000 cattle for methane and feed intake, plus another 1,000 methane readings taken straight off pasture. Participation is voluntary, with the findings expected to feed into future Estimated Breeding Values for commercial use.