Living Lab The UK and Ireland

Sheep production within the UK and Ireland refers to the breeding and rearing of sheep for the production of meat (lamb and mutton), wool and breeding stock using a range of farming systems adapted to local environmental conditions. Sheep farming is a major component of the agri food industry, particularly important in upland, hill and marginal grassland areas where alternative land uses are less suitable. More than 90% of the energy requirement for sheep production can be provided by grass (either grazed or conserved). In our region, sheep farming systems are grass-based with sheep typically able to graze pastures from March to December each year. Local lambing season closely aligns with the grass growth curve to ensure most of the required feedstuff can be derived from grazed grass. This production system makes sheep particularly vulnerable to changes in climatic conditions, including periods of high temperatures and droughts as well as storms and heavy rainfall events.

For the UK and Ireland context, the core problem being addressed by the SheepHeatIT project is the growing vulnerability of sheep production systems to climate change, particularly the increasing frequency of heat stress events that negatively affect animal health, welfare, productivity, and overall farm profitability.

The living Lab within the UK and Ireland will focus on evaluating heat resilience in commercially important sheep breeds. Data will be collected from both commercial and research flocks to develop practical breeding tools that can help the sheep industry. The field facing activities will be delivered through two linked activities. First, AFBI and AHDB will support the identification and contact of commercial sheep farms across the UK and Ireland, enabling genotype and metadata records required for the project. From the onset, the living lab will work closely with industry stakeholders and breeding evaluation systems (Signet at AHDB). Second, AFBI will carry out an animal chamber-study by drawing on existing expertise and previous chamber-study experience.

1. Collection of genotype and phenotype data

Data from a range of sources will be collected and collated from a range of sheep breeds commercially important to the industry. Farms with animals already genotyped will be prioritised. When required, new genotype data will be sampled and analysed to ensure all relevant breed types and data are collated. Phenotypic data will be recorded, including growth and live weight traits, reproductive performance, carcass characteristics, as well as any other relevant data when available such as feed efficiency, health and heat-stress related performance indicators.

2. Evaluation of responses to heat stress

The living lab will run animal studies using state of the art respiration chambers at AFBI Hillsborough. These individual chambers will be used to record animal performance, enteric methane emissions and other physiological and health/welfare indicators from sheep exposed to changes in ambient air temperature. The animal studies will be treated as a separate intensive cohort linked to the broader genotyping work. The studies will identify how different breeds and animals respond to increasing temperature and heat stress conditions. The data will be used to determine which animals maintain productivity and welfare under climatic challenges, and relate findings to genotype data.

For the UK and Ireland, the Living Lab is expected to provide breeders with evidence-based selection tools for climate adaptation. Specifically, the platform will support the quantification of animal responses to heat stress and establish relationships between key performance traits and genotypes. This approach will improve breeding selection programmes for a range of breeds, by reducing climate-related risks to fertility, growth and animal welfare. It will support sustainable, grass-based sheep production systems. The results are also expected to support the definition of best practices and agricultural policies to support the adoption of these new solutions.

Importantly, novel and unique data on methane emissions will improve our scientific understanding of biological and genetic pathways related to this key trait, in the context of climate change.

SheepHeatIT will strengthen the sustainability of sheep farming in the UK and Ireland by delivering science-based breeding solutions that improve resilience to climate change, maintain animal welfare and productivity, support efficient grass-based production systems, reduce environmental impacts, preserve valuable genetic resources, and provide farmers with practical tools for climate-smart sheep breeding.