Tomato Operational Group: Use of tomato pomace enriched with β-glucans for feeding and improving health conditions in sheep.

GO TOMATHO will introduce technologies such as carbon footprint estimation, which will lead to the professionalization and improved efficiency of lamb breeding and fattening. Through project dissemination, the project aims to involve the various stakeholders represented in this consortium, such as the tomato and livestock sectors, and knowledge and transfer agents, including an Agrifood Technology Center and two universities.

Therefore, it is expected that new avenues for cooperation between these sectors will be opened through the proposed innovations. Given the association of the extensive sheep sector with rural areas of Andalusia, it is expected that the development of knowledge generated through this proposal will benefit the sector, achieving a greater degree of development.

The improved animal welfare and health achieved through this project allows the sheep sector to better prevent and control biological risks that can affect lambs, which generates uncertainty in the Andalusian livestock sector, threatened by the arrival of exotic diseases that could lead to its commercial closure.

At the same time, the health improvements achieved through this project will reduce antimicrobial use and, therefore, the likelihood of developing antimicrobial resistance, which harms the public health of society in general and of professionally exposed personnel in particular. Finally, activities focused on estimating and reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also result in improved environmental quality.