Differences between genetically low and high methane emitting ruminants: Current knowledge and future opportunities

AIM: Investigate impact of divergent selective breeding for methane emissions in sheep

Breeding for animals that emit lower methane emissions can lead to changes in health, production and physical characteristics. In sheep, differences in the milk composition, rumen microbiome and outputs, physiological characteristics, and immune response have been observed between divergently selected (high and low) methane emitting animals. This presents opportunities to use measurements of these characteristics as a proxy for methane emissions to identify and breed for low methane emitting animals.