Challenges
The livestock industries are continually under pressure to proactively embrace and incorporate sustainability drivers into their systems and forward improvement plans. These sectors need to maintain and increase profitability by responding to changing market conditions while simultaneously contributing to Scottish Government commitments on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and biodiversity. Scotland’s commitment to reduce baseline GHG emissions by 75% by 2030 and transition to net zero by 2045. An update to the Scottish climate change plan has accelerated the drive to net zero.
Local and global land use is under increasing pressure and livestock systems, that exist as part of landscape and food systems, need to consider what livestock futures are. The future sustainability of the Scottish livestock industry relies on farmers being able to respond to key challenges and threats - losses in efficiency and the resilience are critical components. This should not only think of resilience and efficiency of the individual animal, or the farming system as currently exists, but also how social, policy and environmental drivers may change the requirements we have of our livestock sector. We need to prioritise livestock futures and routes of improvement to achieve farm-level resilience and efficiency. This will help to address several societal challenges:
- Ensuring food security
- Managing natural resources in a sustainable way
- Mitigating and adapting to climate change
- Creating jobs and maintaining competitiveness
Questions
Solutions
In addressing the current and future fit of our livestock in the changing landscape, this project is modelling scenarios of alternative livestock futures for Scotland which are being co-created with stakeholders.
Animal and system lifetime performance metrics and trajectories
We are developing metrics for quantifying animal and socio-economic and physical parameters in different time states. From this, we are creating animal lifetime trajectory routes nested within key system types. These are being used to identify gaps in efficiencies and resilience of livestock within current Scottish farming systems.
Modelling tools to predict outcomes of possible future scenarios
Models are being developed that allow representation over time of the herd/system within a local production environment. These models are also allowing farmers and advisors to test the economic value and herd durability consequences of adjusting a range of improvement trajectories (e.g., breeding and management strategies) according to alternative production environments and scenarios. We are assessing different farming systems regarding environmental, social, and economic sustainability aspects in future scenarios, including the consequences of climate change.
Identifying livestock futures and improvement routes to get there
We are engaging key stakeholders from the cattle sector to assist us to scope out the key “challenges” that livestock improvement has a potential role in solving. Feedback from our stakeholders is essential for the tool design, and to influence the progress and potential directions of this project.
Progress
2023 / 2024
Key achievements:
Animal performance database: For the first time, data from both public and private sources has been brought together to build a database of key performance metrics for beef and dairy animals across their whole life cycle. This will allow researchers to model how animals and production systems perform over time, helping to identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
Linking data to climate impacts: By combining beef production data with national weather and climate projections, the team has begun modelling how changing climate conditions could affect cattle efficiency. These early results highlight how data can help the industry prepare for future challenges, from adapting to climate change to reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production.
2022 / 2023
This project is helping to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Scotland’s livestock sector by bringing together data from across the beef and dairy industries.
Key progress so far:
Tracking animal performance: For the first time, public and private data sources have been combined to create summary statistics on beef and dairy performance across the whole life of the animal. This database will form the basis for models that show how animals and production systems perform over time.
Linking efficiency to climate change: Using new beef production datasets alongside national climate and weather projections, the team has started modelling how changing conditions could affect cattle efficiency throughout their lifetimes. These early results show how data can help the sector understand future challenges – from adapting to climate change to reducing environmental impacts – and support practical solutions for more sustainable livestock farming.
Previous Projects
Related Projects
Using and sharing data across supply chains
This RD will involve the development of tools and strategies to promote the increased use of data from across agricultural supply chains and industry networks, for management and feedback, in order to improve efficiency across the agri-food industry. We will focus on developing methodologies to help quantify and communicate the uncertainties resulting from pooling data across the supply chain. We will develop crop and livestock case studies building links with RDs 2.3.9 & 2.4.1 (barley) and WP2.2 & 2.4 (beef supply chains).
Improvement of Livestock
To improve livestock for traits and management practices important for sustainability of livestock farming at an animal and farm system level. The work will focus on improving animal health and welfare, improving the quality and health attributes of meat and milk products, and increasing animal/farm system resilience (i.e. the ability of animals or management systems to cope with stresses such as infectious diseases, behavioural stresses or changes in climate).