Tests have been carried out to establish the levels of methane being emitted by sheep living off a natural forage diet in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The Forage for CH4nge project – funded by Innovate UK – is bringing together farmers and scientists to better understand how traditional breeds and different pastures can help reduce the environmental impact of sheep farming.
This paper is from a press release by GWCT
Led by local Wensleydale farmer Adrian Thornton-Berry, in collaboration with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), UK Agri-Tech Centre, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the National Sheep Association (NSA), and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, it is exploring how methane emissions differ between native Swaledale sheep and half-bred Texel-cross sheep when both types graze on different forages in the upland landscape.