Leveraging genomics to achieve dairy net-zero

Project Overview

Dairy is one of Canada’s most important and dynamic industries, contributing substantially to Canada’s GDP. To maintain competitiveness, the Canadian dairy industry must focus on a wider perspective that adapts industry practices to match social and environmental values, namely reducing the environmental footprint. Currently, dairy accounts for around 36% of Canada’s livestock emissions and Dairy Farmers of Canada has committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. To support this goal, this project aims to lower GHG emissions from Canadian dairy by 55% by providing a roadmap for GHG management integrating genetics and nutrition strategies.

The overall objective of this project is to provide farmers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers with a mitigation toolbox of knowledge, a pipeline to make emission calculations easier, more accessible, and adaptable to each farm so that farmers can monitor and manage their emissions and provide a robust and accurate cow/herd level estimate of GHG production for Canadian dairy animals.

What Will the Research Team Do?

The project will; (i) enhance the rate of genetic progress for reducing methane emissions; (ii) develop scientific protocols that quantify the impact and uncertainty surrounding GHG mitigation strategies; (iii) develop a roadmap and embedded toolbox for GHG management for bovines; and (iv) provide accurate estimates of individual level emissions for use in governmental policy and GHG inventories. 

The objectives of this project are to: 

1. Estimate individual animal and herd-level emissions.
2. Develop scientific protocols that quantify the impact of and uncertainties around GHG mitigation strategies (genetics, nutrition, and the interaction between the two). 
3. Quantify economic and environmental benefits of reducing GHG emissions through breeding and nutritional strategies. 
4. Consolidate GHG emissions data (including beef).
5. Improve genomic evaluations for GHG emission in dairy cows with milk mid-infrared (MIR)-predicted methane and collected methane in growing (including beef) and lactating animals.
6. Quantify the value of reductions in GHG emissions and options to incentivize uptake of mitigation approaches.
7. Develop accurate and robust methods for estimating individual animal and herd-level GHG emissions for use in policy and GHG inventories at a national level.