Advanced course
Reducing methane emissions in ruminants through nutrition: measuring, management and accounting options
- 27-29 October 2026
- Hybrid (Granada, Spain)
- 976 716 000
- iamz@iamz.ciheam.org
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ADVANCED COURSE
As the livestock sector faces intensifying global pressure to decarbonise, enteric methane reduction has transitioned from a research challenge to a regulatory and corporate necessity. The EU-funded Re-Livestock project invites senior policy advisors, public decision-makers, private sector executives, academics and extensionists to Granada, Spain, for the intensive course: “Reducing methane emissions in ruminants through nutrition: measuring, management and accounting options”.
Taking place from 27–29 October 2026 at the Estación Experimental del Zaidín (CSIC), this programme moves beyond academic theory to provide industry and policy leaders with the technical literacy required for high-stakes environmental governance and corporate strategy.
From science to strategic decision-making, participants will evaluate the scalability of nutritional interventions, from advanced feed additives to grazing management, while exploring the regulatory frameworks and adoption barriers that define the current landscape.
Critically, the course provides hands-on exposure to measurement technologies and modelling tools for accounting at the farm, regional, and national levels, illustrated by real cases from different livestock production systems. By bridging the gap between biological pathways and value-chain accounting, this course empowers executives and decision-makers to make informed investment and policy decisions that align livestock productivity with international climate commitments.
Course objectives
The course will enable participants to:
- Have a more precise overview of global methane emissions from ruminants and developments for their mitigation.
- Have a clear understanding on the relevance of animal nutrition to reduce enteric emissions, the biological basis of these reductions and the techniques and devices to effectively measure ruminant methane emissions.
- Be able to develop and promote nutritional strategies to reduce methane emissions, focused on specific feedstuffs.
- Understand the importance and functioning of feed additives for abating methane emissions and have a view on the pathways for innovating on these types of feed ingredients.
- Have developed skills for accounting and modelling methane emissions reductions and understanding the trade-offs with other carbon emission sources linked to livestock farming.
Course coordination
Registration
Applications must include the curriculum vitae and a copy of the supporting documents most related to the course subject.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 15 June 2026. If free places are available, the deadline may be extended for candidates not applying for a scholarship.
Applications from candidates requiring authorisation to attend the course may be accepted provisionally.
FAQs
Who should attend
The course is designed for senior public decision-makers and policy advisors, private companies, executives, academics and extensionists. Postdocs and PhD students from Mediterranean and European countries, involved in reducing GHG emissions of livestock farming systems to deal with potential climate change impacts may be eligible if places are available. There are 30 places for face-to-face participation and 30 places for attendance online.
Guest lecturers
Bannink, André – WUR, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Ettema, Peter – GRA, New Zealand
Newbold, Jamie – SRUC, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Newbold, John – SRUC, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Ramos-Morales, Eva – CSIC, Granada, Spain
Rivelli, Ines – CSIC, Granada, Spain
Romero-Huelva, Manuel – CSIC, Granada, Spain
Yáñez-Ruiz, David – CSIC, Granada, Spain
Course format and approach
The course will be held for a period of 3 days, from 27 to 29 October 2026, in morning and afternoon sessions, face-to-face and online.
The programme has an applied approach. Lectures are complemented by applied examples, case studies and practical sessions in which participants will be invited to use software to model emissions at farm-national levels.
English will be the working language of the course.
Scholarships
Candidates from CIHEAM and GRA member countries as well as from other European countries may apply, during the registration process, for financial support covering totally or partially the cost of travel and accommodation.
Candidates from other countries who require financial support should apply directly to other national or international institutions
All applications will be subject to a selection process based on the profiles submitted.
Insurance
It is compulsory for participants attending the course in person to have medical insurance valid for Spain. Proof of insurance cover must be given at the beginning of the course. Participants who do not already have insurance may subscribe to a collective policy taken out by the Organisation upon payment of the stipulated sum. Participants from the EU should bring their European Health Insurance Card.
