Helminth (worm) parasites cause around 55% of all farm animal diseases. These parasites impact hugely on livestock productivity by affecting growth rates, fertility, meat quality, wool or milk production, and sometimes cause death. One of the most important parasites to impact animal production in the UK/Ireland (and throughout the EU) is the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica. It infects more than 300 million cattle and 250 million sheep worldwide resulting in losses of over $3 billion to global agriculture through lost productivity. In the UK it costs the cattle farming industry alone around £23 million each year as a result of poor animal condition and a significant reduction of milk and meat yields. Worryingly, resistance to the frontline chemical treatment for liver fluke (a drug called triclabendazole) has become widespread leaving farmers with little to combat the disease. Until recently, infections by similar parasites called paramphistomes, or rumen fluke, were regarded as being of minor importance. However, over the last few years increasing reports of production losses from farmers in Great Britain and Ireland have been ascribed to infection by rumen fluke. It is now believed that rumen fluke has become a bigger problem than liver fluke in many areas. In order to meet the growing threat to food security posed by rumen fluke infection it is imperative that we act now. In this project we will answer some basic questions about its biology, its impact on animal health and productivity and will develop new tests that will allow more rapid and specific diagnosis than currently possible. Specifically, we will address three main questions: 1) What is the extent of the rumen fluke problem in the UK? 2) What is the impact of rumen fluke on animal performance, health & welfare? 3) Can we develop a rapid and specific diagnostic test for rumen fluke? Our approach is timely and will determine the extent of the problem in the UK and for the first time determine a measurable impact of infection on animal production in both cattle and sheep. Furthermore we will have produced rapid and specific diagnostic tests that will allow appropriate control measures to be put in place. These important findings will allow more effective management practices to be put in place early and give us a realistic chance of avoiding the problems of drug resistance currently seen with liver fluke.

Livestock are commonly infected by many different species of parasite (termed coinfections), and yet parasite control generally focuses on one species or a limited group of related species. The core goal of COADAPT is to achieve impact by improving ability to predict, measure and target coinfections in the field, and supply tools for exploitation and application - to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the UK farming industry and to reinforce internationally leading capabilities in predictive biology and digital decision support tools for parasite control. We focus on parasitic and gastrointestinal coinfections in grazing ruminants because they are universally common, frequently production-limiting, and often inappropriately targeted. Changes in seasonal patterns of infection and increasing antiparasitic drug resistance impose major limitations on future ability to manage impacts on production, emissions and animal welfare. The key challenge is to be able to manage coinfections adaptively, calibrating interventions accurately to infection status and impact, using limited chemical inputs to obtain the best response. This will require alignment with prevailing risks, and effective support of on-farm decisions.

This project is focussed on the health, productivity and welfare of sheep. We will concentrate on aspects of metabolism that affect lifelong health and wellbeing. Specifically, we will study a key aspect of metabolism referred to as one-carbon (1C) metabolism. This is important because it affects many key processes in the cell, including DNA synthesis, DNA methylation and cell proliferation. It does this by delivering methyl groups, which are central to these biochemical reactions. Deficiencies in metabolites involved in these pathways, such as choline, methionine, folate and vitamin B12, have adverse effects on animal development and wellbeing. For example, deficiencies in vitamin B12 and/or folate can affect fertility and fetal development, and lead to poor growth, vascular disease and metabolic syndrome in adult animals and humans. 1C metabolism pathways are complex and are affected by many genes. We hypothesise that mutations in these genes will affect 1C metabolism and the vulnerability of animals to micronutrient deficiencies. In this study we will identify such mutations, determine their functional significance (i.e. what they do and how important they are), test their impact in animals fed different diets, and find ways to use this information to improve the welfare of farm animals. Firstly, we will identify mutations (i.e. single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) in around 40 genes directly affecting 1C metabolism, and in very closely related pathways involved in energy metabolism, cell proliferation, DNA synthesis and DNA methylation. To achieve this in sheep we will create our own sequence data. We estimate that we will identify 2000-4000 SNPs by these methods. We will then conduct a large-scale study with liver samples collected from around 300 sheep slaughtered at local abattoirs. We will genotype each sample (to determine which SNPs are present), measure gene expression and conduct a comprehensive analysis of all metabolites involved in 1C metabolism. Interpretation of these data will inform us on SNP function and how these SNPs affect pathways involved in 1C metabolism. To achieve this we will collate the required information and, using our knowledge of these genomes combined with complex bioinformatic analyses, determine the subset of SNPs that have the greatest impact on 1C metabolism. We expect to identify an estimated 100 or so functionally significant SNPs in these genes. We will then construct a 'SNP chip'; i.e. a tool to genotype sheep simultaneously and cheaply for many SNPs. This chip will be used to screen several flocks of sheep to identify 24 'Low-risk' and 24 'High-risk' weaned lambs, and 24 'Low-risk' and 24 'High-risk' breeding ewes. We will then monitor these animals in separate studies involving Control and Methyl-Deficient diets (i.e. two genotypes by two diets). For weaned lambs we will focus on effects on growth, animal health and liver metabolism, and carcass yields and composition. For breeding ewes we will also focus on animal health and liver metabolism, but extend studies to consider effects on chemical modifications to DNA (i.e. DNA methylation) in early (Day 16) male and female embryos. This research will provide novel insights into nutrient x gene interactions for many components of 1C metabolism and how they affect (a) lamb production efficiency, health and welfare, and (b) early development of mammalian embryos influencing fertility and the long-term health and wellbeing of offspring. We will be able to use this information to help breed animals with better functioning 1C metabolism (leading to permanent improvements in welfare and productivity) and/or to improve animal diets. As 1C metabolism also influences human development and health our results will also have biomedical research benefits, and increase the utility of sheep as a model species for this type of research.

Temporary and permanent grasslands cover >70% of UK agricultural land and provide a vital natural asset for achieving national and international climate, nature, and biodiversity targets, whilst providing feed for ruminants that convert human-inedible forage into nutrient-dense food. UK grasslands contain and protect in excess of 500 megatonnes of carbon, whilst soil carbon sequestration, mainly under grassland, covers 50% of agriculture's total mitigation potential. The IPCC emphasise that agricultural systems must prioritise improving grazing land and livestock management and the Committee on Climate Change highlights that a 4% increase in UK forest area could abate 24% of annual agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 2050. Therefore, optimising grassland use (e.g. through upland grazing, low-carbon and methane-mitigating forages, multispecies legume-rich pastures, silvopasture, agroforestry, biomass production, woodland establishment) could help the UK realise its mitigation potential whilst saving >£1.6billion/year. It is therefore urgent to re-appraise grassland land-use and promote realistic policy-making solutions that enable large-scale, long-term, integrated grassland management as part of a UK agriculture's transition to net zero. The project will provide crucial evidence for this process, by bringing together leading innovators in transdisciplinary research on sustainable and resilient livestock systems, to address the transformation of UK grasslands for net zero whilst also improving soil health, biodiversity, and the economy. This will be delivered through five transdisciplinary work packages (WPs): WP1 will facilitate co-designed scenarios and net zero pathways to answer the question of how we can deliver sustainable, acceptable, and accessible land use for net zero in UK grassland areas. WP2 will support 6 innovative grassland management participatory clusters - exploring mitigation measures on-the-ground in all four devolved nations to assess whether existing agroecological innovations provide viable and effective strategies for achieving net zero on grassland-based farms. WP3 will utilise controlled trials for assessing the mitigation potential of different grassland management innovations by measuring the GHG outputs following their implementation. Close interaction between experiments, industry partners and wider stakeholder will be fostered throughout all tasks to ensure relevant experimental assessment of grassland solutions. WP4 will provide sustainability assessment of innovations and farm systems for improved policy design and improved the understanding of system interactions and trade-offs between land use, environment, profitability, and social well-being when adopting grassland innovations. WP5 will provide project coordination, communication, dissemination, and demonstration, overcoming barriers to implementation and enabling transformation of grassland use. In summary, the project will provide innovation assessments, co-creation of adoption pathways and policy-making solutions (assessed via Life Cycle Assessments, Global Farm Metric, experimental trials, land-use scenario modelling, stakeholder engagement) and will embrace both unique and common characteristics in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to develop devolved policies that will target public goods and regulatory mechanisms, protect natural and cultural heritage; and support the Net-Zero Growth Plan.

We live in the critical decade for climate change. The world increasingly experiences the damages and losses from extreme weather events caused by human-made climate change. Crop losses, devastating floods, catastrophic wildfires and rising sea levels cannot be ignored. If we do not achieve a balance between our greenhouse gas emissions and removals from the air, these impacts will become considerably worse and more dangerous. The UK has legally committed to achieving a net zero greenhouse gas balance by 2050. However, it is currently hotly debated how this goal can be achieved. The Land Use for Net Zero (LUNZ) Hub brings together researchers, policy-makers, industry leaders, innovators and rural community representatives from all four nations of the UK. Our 33 member organisations include researchers and practitioners from green finance, agricultural advisory organisations, NGOs, and an arts collective. The goal of the LUNZ hub is to accelerate positive land use change that reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, increases food security and restores a healthy environment for plants, animals and people. The Hub will equip UK policy-makers, industry and stakeholders with the advice they need, in the format and timeframe they require, to take policy decisions to help avert dangerous climate change and lead to a better future. We will bring together scientific evidence and stakeholder perspectives to define shared, net zero scenarios (plausible alternative futures)and credible pathways (steps including policies and incentives) to achieve them by 2050. The Hub will establish an Agile Policy Centre, a Net Zero Futures Platform, and a Creative Methods Lab. Within the Hub, our four National Teams will work together with our Topic Expert Groups to build capacity for a Just Transition to net zero that benefits people and planet alike. The Hub will support the UK Government and the devolved administrations in achieving multiple environmental goals by understanding the impacts of policy decisions on all relevant aspects, including renewable energy, agriculture, planning frameworks, afforestation, water management, nature conservation, biodiversity, and rural economies. The Hub will work on several priority policy areas: 1. Land use change that benefits the environment and is socially just, leading to ecosystem co-benefits such as biodiversity, soil health, human health and wellbeing, and green growth at national, regional and local levels; 2. Future agricultural, environmental and food policies that deliver a net zero future, building on the Agriculture Act 2020, Environment Act 2021, Agriculture Bill 2022 (Wales) and 2023 (Scotland), including future sources of finance, payment schemes and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase removals while strengthening food security, biodiversity and land-based businesses (e.g. farms, crofts, forestry); 3. Integrating policy with carbon and natural capital markets, to ensure that the drivers and mechanisms for on-the-ground transformation work together for optimal outcomes. Achieving net zero by 2050 will require new technologies and practices which lower greenhouse gas emissions. These will include soil improvement practices, peatland protection and restoration, removal of greenhouse gases from the air and decarbonising our economy, large-scale tree-planting to take up carbon from the air, creation and restoration of habitats, transitioning to a circular economy, and significantly reduce food waste and consumption of higher emitting foodstuffs. To cover these diverse areas the Hub is comprised of the primary players in the UKRI AgriFood for Net Zero Network+, Landscape Decisions Programme, and principal investigators from Greenhouse Gas Removals, Changing the Environment, Digital Environment, AI for Net Zero, and Treescapes Programmes. This team have the experience and expertise to bring together a single voice of authority for Net Zero transformation in the UK.