Published Date: 24 July 2017
Tender Status: complete
Tender Opening Date: n/a
Tender Closing Date: 1 March 2017
Award Date: 19 June 2017
Contract Start Date: 1 April 2017
Contract End Date: 31 March 2020
Contract is suitable for SMEs: Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs: Yes
Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) Contract Type: Services
The overall aim of SusSheP is to increase the sustainability and profitability of European Sheep Production by addressing key industry focused problems. Sheep are unproductive (but carbon productive) until they produce their first lamb crop, normally at 2 years of age and, on average, ewes only produce 4 crops of lambs in their lifetime. Despite its importance both from an economic and environmental perspective ewe longevity is not included in sheep breeding indexes across Europe. SusSheP will establish the genetic factors controlling ewe longevity, under different Sheep Production Systems (SPSs) and assess if early life predictors (e.g. reared as single, twin, etc.) can be used to predict longevity. Parallel to this, SusSheP will identify the most carbon and labour efficient SPSs under different management systems (e.g. prolific vs non-prolific sheep breeds) in order to enable the development of strategies to reduce or optimise the labour input and carbon hoof print per kg of output.
The breeding of more efficient sheep has been hampered internationally by the lack of sheep artificial insemination, as the only effective method for use with frozen-thawed semen is a laparoscopic procedure, whereby, semen is injected directly into the uterus but this requires veterinary expertise, is welfare unfriendly and sociable unacceptable. The only exception to this is in Norway, in which vaginal deposition of frozen-thawed semen yields good pregnancy rates. Research in Ireland has demonstrated this is due to the breed of the ewe used in Norway, whereby sperm can transverse the cervix in greater numbers than in other breeds, leading to higher pregnancy rates. SusSheP will interrogate the differences across breeds in cervical physiology and its secretions (genes, proteins and glycans) with a view of developing a more sociably acceptable AI method.
Finally, through the participation of strategically chosen SME's, SusSheP will maximise knowledge transfer to industry, farmers and the scientific communities
Contact name: n/a
Address: DEFRA
London
SW1P 3JR
England
Telephone: n/a
Fax: n/a
Email: [email protected]
Price Range: £92,647
