The Department of Animal and Food Science of the UAB will participate in the European project FREESHEEP&GOAT (Adapting the environment in small ruminant barns to reduce exposure to heat stress). The UAB will contribute scientific and technical expertise on heat stress in small dairy ruminants.
The project kick-off meeting took place on 2 and 3 June in Saint-Palais, France, where the entire consortium team met to present the first advances, coordinate activities among partners, and define the future work plan. In addition to the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the consortium includes the Institut de l'Élevage (IDELE), NEIKER, the Chambre d'Agriculture de la Haute-Garonne, the Chambre d'Agriculture des Pyrénées Atlantiques, and the Comité National Brebis Laitières.
FRESHEEP&GOAT aims to improve the resilience of dairy sheep and goat farms in the POCTEFA area to heat stress associated with climate change. To this end, the consortium will work on monitoring environmental conditions on farms, assessing their relationship with productive and animal welfare parameters, and identifying practical solutions to adapt livestock housing and reduce animals' exposure to heat.
The UAB's participation in the project focuses on contributing scientific and technical knowledge regarding heat stress in small dairy ruminants. The Department of Animal and Food Science will help define physiological, productive, and welfare indicators to assess the impact of heat on dairy sheep and goats, as well as interpret the relationship between on-farm environmental conditions and the animals' response. The UAB will also participate in identifying environmental monitoring sensors and developing practical recommendations to help the sector adapt livestock housing and reduce animals' exposure to heat stress.
During the first few months, the UAB has worked on reviewing existing studies on the relationship between the temperature-humidity index (THI) and the productive and physiological responses of dairy sheep and goats, particularly under controlled climate chamber conditions. This review is intended to help establish a common framework for assessing heat stress that is applicable to different production systems and climatic contexts within the POCTEFA area.
The project, with reference EFA175/06, is funded by the Interreg POCTEFA 2021-2027 programme and will run from 2026 to 2028.
