Meet Hilda, the calf bred to fight climate change

London: Meet Hilda, the calf bred to fart and burp less, which could accelerate the dairy industry’s journey to net zero emissions.

Born at Crichton Royal Farm, near Dumfries in Scotland, the calf is the first of Britain’s longest-monitored scientific herd conceived using IVF, which researchers said heralded a speedier breeding process to reduce methane emissions.

To breed Hilda, scientists took an egg from an immature cow and transferred it to a surrogate animal for birth.Credit: Phil Wilkinson

Scientists on the project said using the technique, which involved Hilda’s mother’s eggs being fertilised in a lab, meant the next generation of the herd arrived eight months earlier than was previously possible.

With the process to be repeated, scientists at Scotland’s Rural College said it would double the rate of “genetic gain” in the herd, and so speed the process of selecting and breeding more “methane-efficient” animals.

Agriculture accounts for about 12 per cent of Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions, the vast majority from livestock methane expelled in belches and flatulence.

Methane is produced by microbes in the rumen, the largest part of a cow’s stomach, and they are linked to a cow’s genetics. It is an 84 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and, though it persists in the atmosphere for only 20 years, legally binding deadlines to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 have made it a target for policymakers.

Professor Richard Dewhurst, from Scotland’s Rural College, said they could now use IVF with six- or eight-month-old animals, reducing the generation interval. The egg from the immature cow is transferred to a surrogate animal for birth. Normally, a cow would be two years old when it has its first calf.

“With global consumption of dairy produce continuing to grow, breeding livestock for sustainability is extremely important,” Dewhurst said. “The birth of Hilda is potentially a hugely significant moment for the UK dairy industry.”

Hilda, the IVF calf, on the farm at Dumfries where the Langhill herd that is used for research for the British dairy industry is kept.Credit: Phil Wilkinson

“We will use a new genomic assessment alongside existing production and environmental efficiency indices to select elite, methane-efficient heifers for breeding.”

The Langhill herd, which was established in the early 1970s, is the focus of the breeding study, the world’s longest-running livestock genetics project. It has been used in studies into greenhouse gas emissions associated with dairy production, including around the effects of different diets, and the impact of different fertilisers on grasslands.

Several recent studies have found many of the world’s biggest agricultural producers have underreported methane emissions, with climate scientists also warning progress in reducing levels has been slow and needs substantial acceleration to limiting global warming. Britain, like Australia, has signed up to the voluntary global methane pledge to cut emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

The more feed cows eat, the more methane they produce; which is why the Langhill herd study is also looking at breeding for “feed conversion efficiency”, or how effectively a cow converts feed into milk.

Leading British supermarkets, such as Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Morrisons, have also announced a scheme that would involve cattle being fed seaweed in the hope of lowering their emissions.

Rob Simmons from the Paragon Veterinary Group said genetically improving the “methane efficiency” of dairy cows was vital to improving the sustainability of the 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.”

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