AFBI researchers in €6 million EU project to help sheep farmers cope with climate change
Date published:
Scientists from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) are part of an EU consortium delivering a €6 million project aimed at helping sheep farmers across Europe and the Mediterranean deal with the effects of climate change.
Rising temperatures and the increased frequency of hot weather extreme events are risking sheep health, fertility, and the yield and quality of milk and meat, creating severe economic problems for farmers.
The SheepHeatIT project aims to solve issues by breeding sheep that can better handle heat, without losing productivity, or harming biodiversity or farmers’ incomes.
The four-year project, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, will study around 18,000 sheep from 24 breeds across eight different regions.
Researchers from 16 organisations, led by the Volcani Centre, will develop low-cost tools to quickly measure how sheep respond to heat and combine these tools with detailed genetic testing.
Researchers will then improve breeding programs by identifying useful genetic markers that can help select sheep which cope better with heat.
The project will also protect local breeds and improve animal welfare.
SheepHeatIT aims to produce a new genetic scoring system to select ‘heat-resistant’ sheep, offer practical breeding advice for farmers, and establish an open online platform with data, tools, and guidelines.
AFBI researchers will analyse data across the eight regions.
The data will cover important areas including meat quality, liveweight (the weight at slaughter), feed efficiency, and wool quality. AFBI will also generate and analyse its own data on methane emissions from sheep.
Dr Francis Lively, AFBI Principal Scientific Officer, said: “I’m excited that AFBI is a key partner in this important new project.
"SheepHeatIT will help farmers address the serious impact of climate change and provide solutions based on accurate data.”
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement ID: 101290220
For more information on SheepHeatIT visit www.sheepheatit.eu
Notes to editors:
AFBI is an arms-length body of DAERA delivering research and development, diagnostic and analytical testing, emergency response capability and expert scientific advice for DAERA and other government departments, public bodies and commercial companies in Northern Ireland, and further afield.
AFBI’s Vision is “Scientific excellence delivering impactful and sustainable outcomes for society, economy and the natural environment”.
AFBI’s Purpose is to deliver trusted, independent research, statutory & surveillance science, and expert advice that addresses local and global challenges, informs government policy and industry decision making, and underpins a sustainable agri-food industry and the natural and marine environments.
AFBI’s strategic priorities:
- Leading improvements in the agri-food industry to enhance its sustainability;
- Protecting animal, plant and human health;
- Enhancing the natural and marine environment;
- Delivering quality outcomes and impact;
- Enabling world class science through excellence in people, places & technology.