A Comparison of the Economic Value for Enteric Methane Emissions with other Biological Traits Associated With Dairy Cows

Since ruminant livestock contribute significantly to global anthropogenic methane emissions they have come under increased scrutiny due to methane being a potent greenhouse gas and pollutant. Before enteric methane can be included in a genetic selection index for breeding, the economic value for enteric methane needs to be derived. An animal model including a partial budget was used to derive economic values for a range of production and fitness (health and fertility) traits typically used in genetic selection of dairy cows with the addition of enteric methane. We found that enteric methane has an economic value of -1.68 per kg methane per lactation and based on the variation seen in the dairy cow population in the UK, genetic selection on enteric methane has potential to increase herd profit per cow and reduce emissions.