Research from QGG forms the basis for the newly launched methane index and increased breeding progress for Saved Feed
Research from QGG is behind both the recently launched methane index for the three dairy breeds (Holstein, Jersey and Red Danish Dairy Cattle), as well as the Saved Feed index, which has recently been given a greater weighting in the Nordic Total Merit index (NTM). This allows Danish dairy producers to select breeding animals with the aim of achieving greater breeding progress for lower methane emissions and for feed efficiency. By selecting according to the NTM breeding target, Danish dairy producers get a more efficient, economical, healthy and climate-friendly cow.
The first methane index was launched in May 2025, and this year it has been expanded with indexes for both cows and bulls for all three dairy breeds. Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG) has contributed significantly to the development of the genetic evaluation models implemented in the Nordic Cattle Genetic Evaluation (NAV). QGG has also played a central role in updating the feed efficiency model underlying the Saved Feed model, which has received a significantly greater weight in the index with NAV's latest update of the NTM in May 2026.
Breeding index for methane
The methane breeding index is based largely on data collected from the ONIMIT project, a research collaboration led by QGG and involving several industry partners, including VikingGenetics, VikingDanmark, ARLA and SEGES Innovation, supplementary support from the Ministry of Green Transition for “large-scale methane measurement” and other projects focusing on methane emissions, including the REMEDA project, which also aims to implement a breeding value assessment for enteric methane in dairy cattle. The projects’ objective has been to reduce methane emissions from dairy production in Denmark by approximately 172,000 tonnes CO2 eq in 2030, corresponding to 5% of current emissions, and an annual reduction of 1% thereafter.
A central starting point for the work was the development of a method for individual large-scale measurements of methane emissions from the dairy cow directly in the barn. This was made possible by the so-called 'sniffers' that were installed in the feed trough of milking robots. The method has made it possible to collect repeated measurements on a very large number of cows in Danish dairy herds in connection with milking at a relatively low cost, which has resulted in a unique and comprehensive data set. The data set has subsequently been integrated into NAV's genetic evaluation, where it forms the basis for the calculation of a methane index. This has given Nordic dairy producers a concrete tool to systematically include methane emissions in the breeding work and thereby contribute to a reduction of methane emissions from the dairy sector.
The extensive experience that QGG has built up through methane projects in recent years has placed QGG among the leading research environments within the genetic reduction of methane emissions from cattle. This expertise has led to researchers from QGG playing a central role in the recently established collaboration Global Methane Genetics. Senior advisor Trine Villumsen has played a central role in QGG's work on methane emissions from cattle in this context. The initiative is based, among other things, on the methods and experiences developed through the Danish methane projects and aims to accelerate the collection and harmonization of methane data across countries. In the case of dairy cattle, the collaboration includes research environments and breeding organizations from, among others, Canada, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries. By establishing a common global database for methane data, the projects in Global Methane Genetics are to form the basis for more precise and robust breeding values for methane globally.
Breeding index for feed efficiency
Another area where research from QGG has contributed significantly to the development of a breeding index is for the trait of feed efficiency (Saved Feed). In the latest update of the Nordic Total Merit index NTM, NAV has increased the weighting for this trait significantly. This means that if a cattle breeder uses the NTM index in breeding work, he/she can achieve a significant improvement in the breeding value of his/her cows for Saved Feed. Saved Feed is an important trait as it contributes to reducing both feed costs and the climate footprint of milk production.
Since 2019, NAV has published breeding values for Saved Feed (feed efficiency) for the dairy breeds Holstein, Jersey and Red Danish Dairy Cattle, and the trait has been an integral part of NTM. Originally, the genetic evaluation for Saved Feed was divided into energy expenditure for maintenance and metabolic efficiency, but the model was not ideal in its use of data. Based on the work in NAV’s Saved Feed group, and results from tenure track assistant professor at QGG, Rasmus Bak Stephansen’s PhD thesis, a new genomic model for Saved Feed has been developed and implemented. The new one-step model is based on the optimal use of automated large-scale measurements of feed intake in Nordic production herds. The system for measuring feed intake is based on camera technology, which was developed by QGG's long-time partner, the breeding company VikingGenetics, in connection with the C-FIT project, with the aim of measuring the cows' individual feed intake and thus the highest possible certainty on the breeding value figures for Saved Feed.
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Read more about the launch of the first Nordic methane index here (in Danish): VikingNyt_Maj_2025 page 26-27.
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