Sheep Enviro-Indexes

Creating an index to breed sheep in Terminal Sire Breeds with a low carbon footprint

 Introduction

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a non-departmental government body, funded by levy income from farmers, growers and others in the supply chain, and managed as an independent organisation (independent of both commercial industry and of Government). The role of the AHDB is to help improve the efficiency and competitiveness of various agriculture sectors within the UK. Our purpose is to inspire our farmers, growers and industry to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

As AHDB is funded in this manner, value for money is paramount, we welcome suppliers who can offer innovative and cost-efficient solutions to meet our needs, whilst also offering superlative service that will enable us to create a world-class food and farming industry. Solutions should look to help us not only reduce costs but increase business flexibility, lift productivity, bring people together to collaborate, innovate and drive change throughout.

Further information about AHDB can be found here: https://ahdb.org.uk/

Background

AHDB assesses over 50 different genetic attributes for sheep farmers as part of the genetic evaluation service delivered by Signet Breeding Services. Each attribute is expressed as an estimated breeding value (EBV) to show the relative superiority of an animal for that trait. However, to aid breeding decisions, EBVs can also be combined into Breeding Indexes to simplify selection decisions and achieve an overarching breeding objective.

Most breeding indexes are based on economic principles to identify the most profitable animal; however, breeding indexes can be designed for other purposes. One such approach would be the creation of a breeding index that identified those animals in the population with the lowest carbon footprint. 

AHDB currently produce three distinct breeding evaluations for the different breed types in the UK.

• Maternal Evaluation – through which an environmental breeding index or indexes will be developed as part of Breed for CH4nge
• Hill Evaluation – through which an environmental breeding index may be developed, based on the work above.
• Terminal Sire Evaluation – for which an environmental index doesn’t exist at present.

AHDB wishes to obtain information that would enable the ranking of sheep within our terminal sire evaluation on the basis of their breeding potential for both environmental and economic credentials.

Scope

It is important that the economic and environmental indexes that are produced for Terminal Sires work in tandem and optimise the decisions made by farmers.

The current quasi-economic indexes (developed on a desired-gains basis) have not been updated recently and were developed in the absence of breeding values for abattoir traits (or the sub-index, Lamb Value, which was developed from abattoir traits).

With historic approaches and current service provision in mind, this Invitation to Tender aims to enhance all the breeding indexes that are currently published for terminal sire breeders and their customers. Information derived from this research will be published for wider use by the UK sheep industry.

We are looking for one or more providers to deliver the following research. The work is split into four sections (work packages 1 -4). Providers may bid for one or more of these work packages.

 AHDB may fund all or some of the work packages. AHDB reserves the right to award different work packages to different organisations. Funding may not be awarded if the proposed solutions don’t provide a deliverable solution based on the original objective.

 Each work package must deliver all the information that is required; so that each can be delivered separately or in combination.

This tender is for

• Work package A. Update the Terminal Sire Index (in economic terms)
• Work package B. Update the Maternal Index (in economic terms)
• Work package C. Create an Enviro-Index for Terminal Sires - when all progeny are slaughtered
• Work package D. Create an Enviro-Index for Terminal Sires - when females are retained for breeding

To complete this work AHDB will provide a full set of breeding values to enable models to be tested. AHDB will answer any queries relating to the construction of existing EBVs and indexes that may prove relevant to this work. 

A budget has not been provided as part of this tender. If further clarity is sought regarding any individual work package, please contact AHDB directly. Information provided to a specific supplier may be shared with other potential suppliers.

Work package A. Update the Terminal Sire Index (in economic terms)

Review the suitability of the current terminal sire index and lamb value (sub-index) as tools for selective breeding and commercial ram selection.

The project team should use their expertise (taking into account feedback from focus groups that have been run by the supplier as part of the project) to create a new economic index that brings information together on growth and carcase traits to create a single index that is expressed in economic terms to represent the relative value of a finished lamb produced by a recorded ram.

It is expected that this index will take into account:-

• breeding values for abattoir traits; days to slaughter, carcase weight, conformation and fat classification)
• proxy traits for abattoir traits measured on the farm (scan weight/muscle depth) and via CT (CT lean weight, muscularity)

With results modelled to show the impact of changing the balance of selection between direct and proxy traits.

Research findings should determine how these weightings would change through the inclusion of lamb survival and highlight the economic impact and robustness of including lamb survival in the new economic index.

Index values should be expressed in financial terms, as £ per lamb born.

Work package B. Update the Maternal Index (in economic terms)

AHDB publish a very simple maternal/self-replacing index. AHDB are aware that the maternal characteristics of terminal sires tend to be a secondary consideration – though important for breeds like the Poll Dorset.

The project team will review the maternal index that is produced for terminal sire breeds and show how we can express the output in economic terms.

Bearing in mind those factors listed here that have tailored the current maternal breeding index, the supplier is asked to develop an updated maternal index. This index can be created using a desired gains approach, but it should be expressed in economic terms, as £ per lamb born. 

Work package C. Create an Enviro-Index for Terminal Sires - when all progeny are slaughtered

Develop a new breeding index to identify those terminal sires with a lower carbon footprint (when used by commercial farmers as terminal sires and all their progeny are slaughtered) using existing traits. 

Explain how the information derived from this index will be expressed relative to the output of the animal in terms of either output or intensity. It is assumed that a recommendation will be made that carbon footprint is adjusted to a fixed level of output.

This index should then be developed further to enable two novel traits to be incorporated in the future.

• Methane production (as determined using a methane chamber)
• Rumen volume (a proxy trait for methane production determined using CT).

A table should be provided to show how a change in one unit of any of the given EBVs that are included in the index influence the overall carbon footprint.

Work package D. Create an Enviro-Index for Terminal Sires - when females are retained for breeding

Repeat the work above, but in a scenario where 50% of the females (25% of the lambs) that are produced are retained for breeding purposes.

Develop a new breeding index to identify those terminal sires with a lower carbon footprint (when used by commercial farmers as terminal sires, but with 75% of their progeny being slaughtered and 25% retained as breeding females) using existing traits. 

Explain how the information derived from this index will be expressed relative to the output of the animal in terms of either output or intensity. It is assumed that a recommendation will be made that carbon footprint is adjusted to a fixed level of output.

This index should then be developed further to enable two novel traits to be incorporated in the future.

• Methane production (as determined using a methane chamber)
• Rumen volume (a proxy trait for methane production determined using CT).

A table should be provided to show how a change in one unit of any of the given EBVs that are included in the index influence the overall carbon footprint.

Stakeholder Engagement

In delivering any of the work packages it is a requirement of contract award that the project team will initiate and deliver the following steps (as a minimum level of engagement)

• Host a briefing with AHDB's Sheep Genetic Advisory Group to explain the approach.
• Meet with AHDB and genetic service providers at SRUC to understand the current service, the current aspirations of Signet clients and obtain any genetic information required for this work (data and genetic parameters).
• Engage in a meeting with stakeholders, including Signet clients, to understand their current breeding goals and concerns regarding changes to the index.
• Engage in a meeting with the Breed for CH4nge project with an openness to sharing findings and support any potential useful collaboration with this project.
• Deliver a feedback session with stakeholders prior to final report publication.
• Generate a report summarising project findings that explains the proposed index weightings and a technical note written for knowledge exchange purposes explaining both the construction and interpretation of the indexes.

Meetings don’t need to be held in person, although it is recognised that this is often the best way to obtain informative feedback. Please state in the tender if meetings will be held in person or remotely.

Expected project output

The output from the project will be a report that documents the creation of (at least) four breeding indexes and a set of index weightings that are ready for implementation.

• Terminal Sire Index – Expressed in Economic Terms (focussed on optimising economic performance)
  • With a version that includes lamb survival (from WP 1)
• Maternal Index – Expressed in Economic Terms (focussed on optimising economic performance)
  • With a version that includes lamb survival (from WP2)
• Eco-Index for Terminal Sires slaughtering all progeny – (focussing on reducing carbon footprint)
  • With options that include methane production and/or rumen volume (from WP 3)
• Eco-Index for Terminal Sire retaining female replacements – (focussing on reducing carbon footprint)
  • With options that include methane production and/or rumen volume (from WP 4)

A sensitivity analysis should be provided to indicate how changes in the balance of index weightings influence the desired outcome, be it economic or environmental.

Tables should be provided that show how a change in one unit of any of the given EBVs influences value (profitability) and carbon footprint.

Full methodology should be included within the report.

 Exiting Arrangements

For each work package, at the end of the project:-

• A report should be submitted for implementation containing the detail as outlined in the scope.
• Any animal data or breeding values used for modelling must be deleted.

Reporting

As part of the services and for each work package, the Supplier shall provide the following reports to AHDB:

 Contract Term

The work will commence no later than 1^st October 2024 and be completed within 6 months.

Contract Management

AHDB and the successful supplier/s shall each appoint a contract manager, specific roles will be agreed between both parties at award of contract/s.

AHDB will appoint the Head of Animal Breeding & Product Quality to lead the project, with support from the Senior Animal Breeding Manager (Signet) and the Lead Animal Genetics Expert. Monthly meetings will be scheduled to review progress.

 Milestones

At the start of the contract/s, AHDB shall host a project commencement meeting with the Supplier/s.  During this meeting, the programme of work and payment schedule submitted as part of the tender shall be refined and key milestones agreed. 

The programme of work shall be regularly reviewed and updated by the Supplier/s, in agreement with AHDB.  The programme of work shall be used to monitor project delivery.  Payment shall only be made monthly in arrears upon completion of the relevant key milestones and reporting by the Supplier/s in agreement with AHDB.

Each key milestone shall comprise a number of the deliverables described within this specification document.

Upon achievement of each deliverable, the Supplier shall notify AHDB who shall ratify that it has been achieved and update the programme.

 Pricing

Service providers must quote separately for each of the four work packages, A-D listed in the scope (section 3), in addition to providing a price to complete the whole project.

 Prices are to be fixed for the duration of the contract, with invoices submitted at the end of each milestone and no later than 3 months after the completion of the project.  

 All prices should be quoted exclusive of VAT.

Please note AHDB’s Terms and Conditions apply. 

On submitting a proposal please ensure you have read and accepted our terms and conditions, these are available on our website here under the “Applying for funding” heading. Any organisation receiving funding from AHDB shall comply with the terms and conditions specified in the Goods and Services Contract. AHDB will not be held responsible for any expenses or losses incurred by applicants in the preparation of an application(s).