WP6 - Modelling tools to predict outcomes of possible future scenarios

WP leader: Eileen Wall - Scotland's Rural College (SRUC)
Associate WP leader: Vera Eory - SRUC
Involved partners: SRUC, INRA, TEAGASC, FiBL, FA, UDL
Nowadays national breeding goals are based on a theoretical ‘homogeneous’ production system that should represent the average production system. Nevertheless, there are large differences between regions within EU, which indicates that breeding goals must emerge differently to accommodate local resource availability and social and structural differences. In addition, the national breeding goals may not be suitable for all farming systems. 
Objectives
Using an interdisciplinary approach of environmental economics and biological sciences, this WP aims to develop modelling tools that allow prediction of the long-term effects of selection and management strategies on animal and farm system resilience and efficiency under different environmental scenarios. This will allow locally tailored practical breeding goals to be enhanced and thus provide solutions to key challenges affecting the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of the EU livestock sectors.
​WP 6 will:
  • Provide tools to develop selection and management strategies that optimize resilience and efficiency of milk and meat production according to local conditions
  • Predict animal and system performance under different future challenge scenarios.
Assess environmental, economic and social sustainability aspects of various beef and dairy production systems in future scenarios.
Tasks
  • T6.1 – Predicting lifetime trajectories of beef and dairy cattle
  • T6.2 – Modelling weather effects on growth/production trajectories and key lifetime performance targets in cattle
  • T6.3 The role of system resilience and efficiency in addressing farm vulnerability to climate change challenges 
PROJECT
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