ES RDE 135 - Livestock Unit Update Project (LUUP) – updating the unit of measur

Defra Self-Service Direct Award.

Livestock Units (LU) are used across Defra and its arms-length bodies, for example in the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, to estimate the grazing pressures different livestock species and breeds represent. The data underlying the LU estimates is no longer aligned with modern livestock sizes and scientific advances, as well as using outdated calculations of feed intake, both of which lead to inaccurate estimates of grazing pressure. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the input data and calculations used is necessary to ensure changes to livestock phenotypes over the last four decades and advances in our understanding of feed intake are captured accurately.