Fresh hopes to reduce methane emissions produced by dairy cows have been generated by a project in Scotland that has produced an in vitro fertilization or IVF born calf called Hilda.

Under the auspice of the Cool Cows project, Hilda is the culmination of work by a team of scientists at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Dairy Research Centre headed up by Professor Richard Dewhurst.

Bred to produce lower volumes of methane, Hilda is being hailed as a role model in helping the under pressure dairy sector cut emissions and move faster to net zero.

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The SRUC researchers expect Hilda, as a lactating cow, will produce 1-2% less emissions than her cohort of cows not selected for lower methane emissions.

Hilda is the first calf born via IVF in the Langhill herd based at Dumfries in Scotland, which the SRUC said is a “vital source of data for the UK dairy industry for more than half a century.”

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The calf is the first of the 16th generation of cattle born into the herd, which was established in the early 1970s.

With experience gained from leading research units in Wales, New Zealand and Ireland, Professor Dewhurst, and his team, said Hilda’s mother’s eggs were fertilized in the lab during the project allowing the calf to be born eight months earlier than previously possible.

Using IVF allows the team to accelerate improvement over the female line, and instead of getting one improved calf each 24 months they can get two, which halves the generation interval.

CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTION

The primary objective of the Cool Cows project is to facilitate a step change in the use of genomic and reproductive technologies to deliver solutions to the global climate emergency.

The project demonstrates a unique combination of reproductive technologies (OPU-IVP-ET) and new genomic tools which can, for the first time, be used to select genetics primarily for reduced methane production whilst maintaining production to produce a number of highly productive, highly methane-efficient cattle.

The OPU-IVP-ET technique can be used for other breeding goals and the animals are selected for all other traits simultaneously, such as Profitable Lifetime Index plus lower methane emissions.

Professor Dewhurst said, “With global consumption of dairy produce continuing to grow, breeding livestock for sustainability is extremely important.

“The birth of Hilda is potentially a hugely significant moment for the UK dairy industry. We will use a new genomic assessment alongside existing production and environmental efficiency indices to select elite, methane-efficient heifers for breeding.

“The Cool Cows project will produce a greater number of offspring from these donors, rapidly establishing a nucleus of highly methane-efficient calves.”

The project, a partnership between SRUC, Cumbria vets Paragon and Semex, has received £335,000 from the Digital Dairy Chain’s Collaborative Research and Development Grant Competition.

Rob Simmons, director and lead vet for advanced breeding at Paragon, said, “Paragon were delighted to help develop and deliver this important project to help support sustainability in the dairy sector.

“Genetic improvement in methane efficiency is going to be key to continuing to provide nutritious food to the public, while controlling the impact of methane emissions on the environment in the future.”

Stuart Martin, programme director of Digital Dairy Chain, said, “With the environmental impact of farming being a critical global issue, projects that look for innovative solutions to mitigate this impact are vital to the industry.

“The birth of the first Cool Cows calf marks a significant milestone, promising significant results for the future of sustainable farming.”

With the process set to be repeated, it means that researchers are doubling the rate of genetic gain and thereby accelerating the accumulation of data to breed more efficient dairy cows.