Welcome to the PGGRC, We hope you find our site useful in providing insights into New Zealands efforts to reduce the Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. The PGgRc research programme aims to provide New Zealand livestock farmers with the knowledge and tools to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector.

New Zealand is a signatory to the Kyoto treaty on Climate change and has commitments to reduce its overall GHG emissions to the level they were in 1990. Agriculture is a major contributor to New Zealand's economy and also responsible for 48.5% of the nations GHG emissions. The PGGRC is a commitment by the pastoral sector to address these emissions while ensuring that our nations economic wealth is enhanced.

The image on the right is a electron micrograph of a string of methanogens inside the rumen - the organism responsible for producing methane in ruminant livestock such as cattle, sheep and deer.

We welcome any thoughts you may have about our website and please check out the map of Global Research Associates, to see what other activity is happening globally.  

PGGRC complete methanogen genome sequencing

The announcement  of the completion of the first rumen methanogen genomic sequence marks an important milestone for the PGGRC. Since its inception in 2002 the Consortium has had a programme looking at developing a fundamental understanding of the organisms responsible for the production of methane from ruminant Livestock. Although other methanogens have previously been sequenced, Methanobrevibacter Ruminantium is the first from the rumen to have its "parts list" or genome identified. The consortium has had and will continue to have a programme of work that will utilise this knowledge in developing cost effective mitigation solutions for livestock.

The full media release regarding this anouncement can be found in our News while background to the genomic programme of research can be found in our five year review booklet published in November 2007.