Comparison of country-specific predictions of feed intake and methane emissions in sheep using different proxies.

ABSTRACT. - Ruminants are often singled out as being the main culprits when it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for methane (CH4) in particular. However, with their diets based on forage and grazing, ruminants have a role to play to limit the feed-food competition. Sheep breeders are open to the prospect of including both feed efficiency and GHG emissions in their breeding programmes and whether or not it is for the purpose of genetic (or genomic) selection, the acquisition of new phenotypes for feed efficiency and GHG emissions are essential.