12th January 2026
How CEVEC supports greener, more efficient calf rearing
Sustainability in livestock systems isn’t just about technology that looks ‘green’ on paper. It’s about whole-farm changes that cut waste, improve productivity and reduce emissions per litre of milk or kilogram of beef sold.
From the outset, the CEVEC project (Cost Effective Ventilated Environment for Calves) was designed around the simple premise that housing is frequently the missing piece in many calf rearing systems. The research team set out to test how a smart calf building could deliver better welfare with lower environmental impact.
A calf-building designed for energy efficiency
The CEVEC building at High Skeog Farm was conceived as a low-energy, high-efficiency shed, using design to reduce heating demand. Key design features include:
- A rounded, fabric-clad roof with ventilated ridge to drive natural airflows and minimise resistance.
- Translucent roof covering, allowing around 20% of light through – providing a naturally lit environment and useful solar gain on bright winter days, typically lifting internal temperatures by around 4°C.
- Positive pressure VentTube ventilation delivering fresh air at low speed, so air quality is maintained without over-ventilating and wasting heat.
- Targeted heating from the VentTube pre-heater to infrared pen heaters – which warms calves and incoming air rather than heating the entire building volume.
- Automated control via the iSeries system ensures ventilation and heating only run when needed, guided by real-time temperature, humidity, CO₂, ammonia and external weather data.
This smart control means the building uses energy where it adds most value: keeping young calves in their thermoneutral zone and preventing humidity-driven disease pressure.
CEVEC carbon modelling: what the numbers say
To quantify the impact of the new calf shed, SRUC used AgreCalc, a carbon calculator that applies emission factors and aligns with industry guidelines.
They modelled a set of realistic scenarios based on CEVEC’s measured performance improvements, including:
- Increased calf DLWG by 0.1-0.25 kg/day
- Reduced calf mortality by 1-3%
- Reduced age at first calving by up to 2.5 months
- Corresponding increases in milk yield of 1-5%
Across 3-, 4-, 6- and 8-pen farm scenarios, the modelling showed:
- Total farm emissions could fall by around 1% on average, with some larger herds seeing a small increase due to more calves surviving and heavier liveweights.
- Milk emission intensity (kg CO₂e/kg FPCM) dropped by ~2-5%, depending on the scenario.
- Meat emission intensity (kg CO₂e/kg deadweight) decreased by around 1.5-4%.
In other words, each litre of milk or kilo of beef carried a smaller carbon footprint when calves were reared in the CEVEC system.
Why improved calf productivity is a sustainability tool
Some sustainability measures focus solely on reducing inputs. CEVEC takes a different path by using better design and targeted energy use to secure productivity gains including:
- Faster growth
- Better survival and health
- Earlier age at first calving
- Improved lifetime yield
Those improvements mean more output from a similar level of feed, land and overheads. That’s why emission intensities fall, even where total emissions don’t drop dramatically.
As the project’s technical lead, Andrew Gardner summarises: “Longer-term milk production emissions could be reduced by up to 5%. The CEVEC building delivers positively for sustainable farming practices while remaining an economically viable solution for dairy and beef farmers.”
Designing out waste in calf rearing systems
It’s not just about carbon. The CEVEC concept also supports broader resource efficiency:
- Modular construction reduces material waste and allows the building to be sized to herd requirements – with 3-, 4-, 6- and 8-pen configurations.
- Good drainage and hygiene-friendly pen design limits slurry accumulation and ammonia build-up, supporting both air quality and bedding efficiency.
- Integrated data capture (water use, dry feed bin weight, power consumption) helps producers identify inefficiencies and refine management over time.
Delivering sustainability on farm
Most importantly, the CEVEC project was run on a working commercial farm. Systems had to function in Dumfries wind and rain, with real staff and real time pressures.
The result is a calf housing blueprint that:
- Improves welfare and growth
- Makes labour more efficient
- Supports farm-level sustainability targets by improving emissions intensity and reducing waste
For producers under pressure to demonstrate both environmental responsibility and economic resilience, CEVEC shows how practical design choices in calf housing can contribute meaningfully to both.
Email the team to find out more about the CEVEC Project – marketsupport@galebreaker.com
Read more in the CEVEC series of blogs:
