Livestock Metabolomics: Investigating Metabolic Signatures of Methane Mitigation in Beef Cattle

About the Project

Research Background

Agriculture contributes approximately 27% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Northern Ireland, with ruminant livestock representing the largest source. Enteric methane (CH₄) emissions from cattle account for more than half of farm-gate emissions and remain a major challenge in achieving the UK’s Net Zero targets by 2050.

This fully funded PhD project will address these knowledge gaps by applying state-of-the-art untargeted metabolomics to investigate the metabolic responses of dairy-origin beef cattle exposed to methane-suppressing feed additives throughout their entire production cycle.

Aims and Objectives

Evaluate the long-term effects of methane-suppressing feed additives on animal growth, feed efficiency, health, and welfare.
Conduct comprehensive untargeted metabolomic profiling of serum, plasma and rumen fluid samples collected across key developmental stages.
Identify metabolic pathways and biomarkers associated with methane reduction, feed efficiency, animal health, and productive performance.
Integrate metabolomics data with methane emissions, rumen microbiome composition, and animal phenotypes to improve understanding of host–microbiome interactions.

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