Cattle have begun to use four new methane emissions measuring machines worth €60,000 each as Teagasc-led research into breeding more climate-friendly livestock ramps up.

The cattle are housed in a new extension to the ICBF’s progeny test centre in Tully, Co Kildare. This is part of the Greenbreed project, for which the Department of Agriculture provided €3m across beef, dairy and sheep last year. There are already projects using two machines in Tully: the Department-funded €350,000 RumenPredict, and €600,000 EU-funded MASTER, both conducted in collaboration with UCD and ICBF. The extension will increase the Tully’s capacity from 500 to over 660 animals, with half from suckler herds and half dairy beef.

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Tully now climate-testing all beef progeny

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