The issue of environmental sustainability also affects the livestock sector. On one hand, significant efforts must be made in managing agricultural waste and livestock effluents—promoting and encouraging cascading uses such as the production of biomethane, biogas, and agricultural amendments [1]. On the other hand, it is equally important to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases resulting from livestock management.

In particular, enteric fermentation alone—the digestive process by which ruminants convert plant biomass into protein through the action of microorganisms in the rumen [2]—accounts for over 47% of total greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector (as of 2022 in Italy). Of this total, more than 73% is caused by bovines alone, with dairy cows making up the clear majority [3].

Efforts and techniques to limit these emissions (mainly methane) have been focused for decades on several key aspects: (1) improving feed quality by promoting high-efficiency, high-productivity diets; (2) introducing ruminal modifiers, which are substances added to feed that can limit or inhibit methane production; (3) genetically improving livestock and refining management techniques to enhance feed efficiency and reduce the methane-to-product ratio (milk or meat) [2].

This is precisely where the story of the Hilda cow comes into play.

A significant milestone for sustainable agriculture

This is how Hilda has been described by the founders and sponsors of the project that led to her birth. The calf is part of the UK-based Cool Cows project, which has been raising cattle for several years using innovative techniques aimed at reducing methane emissions and improving feed efficiency [4]. However, Hilda is the first calf born within the project through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and is part of the Langhill herd, located in Dumfries, Scotland—a historic herd for British cattle genetic selection research [5].

The IVF technique is based on retrieving oocytes (unfertilized eggs) from the donor and then fertilizing them in the lab with selected male semen. The resulting embryo is then transferred to a surrogate mother.

Hilda’s birth is even more promising because it efficiently combines three biogenetic techniques: (1) the prediction of the cow’s methane production through DNA analysis; (2) the extraction of oocytes from young heifers; (3) in vitro fertilization (IVF) using sex-selected sperm.

In this way, by correctly selecting the genetic traits of oocytes and sperm, it is possible to accelerate the selection of females to create a low-methane-emission herd. According to some estimates, this approach could reduce methane emissions from cattle by around 50% per year, leading to a total reduction of over 20% by 2050. Until now, traditional selection had only achieved a 1% annual reduction in methane emissions [6].

Fig. 1: Calf in livestock farming. Photo by Ryan McGuire on Pixabay.

It is important to emphasize in this context that the techniques used for the selection and breeding of Hilda—and many other animals, not just livestock—while innovative and advanced, do not fall under the concept of genetic modification or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In the field of livestock farming, GMOs are still in the experimental stage and are subject to legitimate ethical constraints [7].

However, the case seems to have sparked significant disinformation—or rather, misinformation—both in Italian and English media outlets, which have often headlined the news with clear references to genetic modifications [8] [9] [10].

Just to clarify the issue: genetically modified organisms (GMOs)—whether animals or plants—are cells or organisms in which exogenous DNA molecules (i.e., DNA from the same species, other species, or artificially created) have been introduced and integrated into the genome (the entire DNA content of a cell) [11].

In short, it’s a completely different story from the genetic selection of the Hilda cow.

This article is part of the project “Quiz Ambientali per un Trentino Più Verde!” carried out by Econtrovertia APS and sponsored by Fondazione Cassa Rurale di Trento (Notice of Approval of December 20, 2024).

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