RESEARCH INTO breeding sheep and goats to better cope with climate change has found significant variations between individual animals' responses to changing weather conditions.
The study, led by Scotland’s Rural College, looked at animal performance records alongside weather data, including the average daily temperature and humidity.
Researchers found that the same weather change invoked a variety of responses in different animals – including some where the weather change did not affect their production figures at all, indicating that they might be individually more resilient to climate change.
SRUC professor Georgios Banos said the results of the study could be used to further improve the accuracy of selective breeding, leading to the enhanced sustainability and profitability of farms.
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