On 20 January 2026, the European project LIFE Green Sheep hosted a webinar bringing together researchers, advisors, farmers and stakeholders from the sheep sector to showcase practical solutions for reducing the carbon footprint of sheep farming while strengthening its overall sustainability. The event highlighted both the project’s progress and concrete examples from farms in Italy and Romania. Around 50 people participated.
Coordinated by the French Livestock Institute, LIFE Green Sheep aims to reduce the carbon footprint of sheep meat and milk production by 12% across Europe. The project involves five countries – France, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Romania – which together account for nearly half of European sheep meat production and over 60% of sheep milk production. More than 1,500 sheep farms are engaged, including 261 innovative farms implementing tailored carbon action plans.
During the webinar, project leader Sindy Throude presented key intermediate results. An analysis of over 200 carbon action plans revealed that mitigation strategies differ depending on production systems. In meat sheep farms, the main levers relate to flock management, particularly animal health and productivity. In dairy sheep farms, feeding management is the dominant driver for reducing emissions. Simulation results show that these action plans can deliver emission reductions close to the project’s targets, confirming their technical relevance.
Two farm case studies illustrated how these strategies are applied in practice. In Italy, a dairy sheep farm in Sardinia demonstrated how combining high forage self-sufficiency, carbon storage through permanent grasslands and innovative farm-built machinery can improve both environmental performance and working conditions. Simple but clever investments in feeding and bedding equipment significantly reduced labour time and physical strain, highlighting the importance of social sustainability alongside environmental goals.
In Romania, the featured low-input farm showed that extensive systems can also achieve substantial climate benefits. Measures such as improved pasture management, the introduction of legumes, the reduction of the proportion of low-productivity animals and better lamb management led to an estimated 17% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding the project’s target. At the same time, farm efficiency and economic resilience were strengthened.
Overall, the webinar demonstrated that the transition to low-carbon sheep farming is achievable across very different contexts. By combining technical, environmental, economic and social approaches, LIFE Green Sheep shows that sustainable sheep farming can be both climate-friendly and farmer-centred, offering realistic pathways for the future of the sector.
See the LIFE_GREEN_SHEEP_EU_WEBINAR_20260120 présentation
See the record of the webinar