{"id":17344,"date":"2026-10-30T20:12:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T20:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/life-green-sheep.eu\/?p=17344"},"modified":"2026-10-30T20:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T20:12:34","slug":"french-sheep-farms-results-and-reference-sheets-to-guide-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/life-green-sheep.eu\/it\/french-sheep-farms-results-and-reference-sheets-to-guide-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"[RESULTS] French sheep farms: CAP’2ER\u00ae and DEO diagnostics to improve performance and sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

In France, around a thousand sheep farmers took part in LIFE Green Sheep: 758 meat sheep farms and 246 dairy sheep farms. Their results are now available in two information sheets, one for meat and one for dairy sheep, and twelve reference sheets by farming system, so that every farmer can assess their farm and identify ways to improve its technical, economic and environmental performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A diagnostic and step-by-step approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n

French farms followed a four-step approach: an assessment with CAP’2ER\u00ae, for the environmental footprint, and DEO, for the overall sustainability of the farm; a presentation of the results by the adviser to identify areas for improvement; an action plan built with the farmer; and the implementation and monitoring of the chosen practices. Demonstration farms carried out a CAP’2ER\u00ae level 1 assessment, while innovative farms went further with a level 2 assessment and a carbon plan monitored over five years.<\/p>\n

Meat sheep: a footprint driven by the flock<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On the 758 meat sheep farms assessed (2021 data), gross emissions average 43.1 kg CO\u2082 eq. per kg of lamb carcass<\/strong>. Enteric fermentation accounts for about two-thirds of these emissions, followed by manure management (13%) and purchased feed (8%). Thanks to grasslands and hedges, farms store on average nearly 1.5 tonnes of CO\u2082 eq. per hectare each year and maintain biodiversity on their land. Each farm feeds on average 174 people a year.<\/p>\n

It is therefore no surprise that more than half of the measures chosen by farmers in their carbon plans concern the flock: better health management, better reproductive performance, fewer unproductive animals, faster lamb growth and better genetics.<\/p>\n

Dairy sheep: feeding at the heart of action plans<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On the 246 dairy sheep farms assessed, gross emissions average 2.91 kg CO\u2082 eq. per litre of corrected milk<\/strong>. Enteric fermentation accounts for just over half of emissions, and purchased feed for 15%, a higher share than in meat farms. Farms store on average around 1.25 tonnes of CO\u2082 eq. per hectare and each feeds about 500 people a year.<\/p>\n

Feeding is the first lever mentioned in action plans (43% of measures): more grazing, fewer feed purchases, more productive grasslands, better forage quality and less imported soya.<\/p>\n

Encouraging results on innovative farms<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On the innovative farms, the action plans are expected to:<\/p>\n