Sustainability & efficiency

Accelerating Methane Phenotyping Worldwide for the Jersey Breed through the Global Methane Genetics Initiative

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Abstract

Global efforts aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through selective breeding have primarily targeted the Holstein breed. However, the smaller, colored Jersey cow is present across all continents, and reknowned for its superior feed efficiency, heat tolerance, and elevated milk solids content, offering significant potential for methane (CH₄) mitigation. Despite these favourable characteristics, the absence of CH₄ breeding values for Jerseys stems from limited phenotyping efforts. To address this gap, a Jersey-specific project aimed at doubling phenotyping capacity in Canada and Denmark has been funded through the Global Methane Genetics initiative. This expansion leverages cost-effective, large-scale CH₄ measurement systems ("sniffers") that integrate with existing farm infrastructure, such as automatic milking systems. The project has three main objectives:1. Collect CH₄ phenotypes from 7,800 new Jersey cows in Canada and Denmark, and obtain rumen samples from up to 20% of these animals.2. Develop genetic evaluation models specifically tailored to the Jersey breed and incorporate CH₄ breeding values into Canadian and Danish/Nordic breeding goals.3. Disseminate findings globally through the World Jersey Organization and national Jersey associations (AUS, CAN, CH, DNK, FRA, GER, ITA, NLD, NZL) to promote CH₄ recording initiatives in additional countries.To date, Canada has increased its number of sniffer units from 6 to 12, while Denmark has expanded from 10 to 20 units. An additional donation from Danish Jersey Support will raise the total to 25 units in Denmark, anticipated to be operational by early 2026. Current efforts are concentrated on harmonizing data processing pipelines from raw sniffer outputs to phenotypes suitable for genetic evaluation, and to enhance genetic correlation between the two Jersey populations. Preliminary genetic analyses from Denmark, based on data currently from 1,900 cows, reveal encouraging heritability estimates: 0.27 (SE: 0.06) for primiparous and 0.20 (SE: 0.03) for multiparous cows. These values are numerically higher than those reported in Holstein studies. A genetic evaluation for CH₄ in Danish Jerseys is scheduled for implementation in 2026 through the Nordic Cattle Genetic Evaluation Center (NAV). In summary, phenotyping commercial Jersey cows in Canada and Denmark is underway, and we aim to deliver the first CH₄ breeding values for the breed, supported by a robust dataset that will enable more accurate genomic selection for this critical trait. Through collaboration with the World Jersey Organization, we also aim to stimulate interest in methane phenotyping in additional countries.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Baes, C., Bulot, O., Machefert, C., Miglior, F., Schneider, H., Stephansen, R., Storing, V. & Villumsen, T., (2026) “Accelerating Methane Phenotyping Worldwide for the Jersey Breed through the Global Methane Genetics Initiative”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2283467. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.23501

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