Sustainable Livestock Systems

The Sustainable Livestock Systems Research Group aims to underpin the development of more sustainable systems of livestock production – systems that are economically viable, but also environmentally and socially acceptable.

This is achieved through systems research at the farm level – investigating the properties of farm systems, either experimentally or through modelling. This involves integrating existing knowledge from component areas of science, creating new knowledge about interactions between these components, and identifying gaps in knowledge.

Within our Group, this area of work is best developed in dairy and hill and upland sheep systems, but we are expanding the systems emphasis elsewhere. This is complemented by research at the disciplinary level, especially in:

• Animal behaviour and welfare
• Animal breeding and genetics
• Animal reproduction and development

We are also active in interdisciplinary research, linking the areas listed above, and others, including economics and socio-economics, environment and animal health, by collaboration within SAC and externally.