Firm’s concern at ‘lack of expertise’

Company fears it may have to go overseas to source data on livestock feed regimes

By Joe Watson

Published:

INPUT: A lack of industry involvement in deciding the type of research projects to be pursued has been criticised

The technical director of one of Scotland’s biggest animal feed firms has expressed concerns at the lack of home-grown animal nutrition experts.

Willie Thomson, of Turriff-based Harbro, fears having to go overseas to secure technical data to improve feeding regimes for cattle, sheep and pigs. He told a meeting, held by the firm in Aberlour, there appeared to be no successors coming through the ranks to replace Aberdeen-based experts Bob Orskov and Professor John Robinson, both of whom are globally acclaimed for their work with livestock.

Mr Thomson also criticised the lack of industry involvement in deciding the type of research projects being pursued, adding that work undertaken by US universities was often now more relevant to the nutritional needs of suckler cows. He too lamented decisions by Aberdeen University to virtually drop agriculture from its research and educational activities and the switch of focus at the Rowett Institute to human nutrition from the animal work for which it was recognised for decades.

Mr Thomson said agriculture was moving back up the political agenda, adding that animals could be used to improve human nutrition. Farming would also become more important for energy security as crops are turned into biofuel and increasing quantities of agricultural waste used to generate electricity and heat through anaerobic digestion.

But Ed Smith, the managing director of Kennethmont-based Norvite Animal Nutrition, disagreed with many of Mr Thomson’s concerns. He said the feed industry had for the last 15 years been unable to invest in research and development work as margins had been under pressure.

“We have been very spoiled, particularly in the north-east, because of the golden group of people we have had to help us as well as all the staff at the Rowett,” he added.

Going forward industry would have to be smarter and more proactive in taking advantage of government-funded research programmes, such as those to reduce livestock methane emissions. Becoming involved at an early stage would allow the research work to be better targeted and provide industry with improved information.

The Scottish Agricultural College said there was no doubting the depth of scientific and practical knowledge held by the respected Aberdeen scientists.

It, however, said there was a new generation of experts coming through its ranks on every aspects of agricultural production, veterinary science and food marketing, all of whom worked closely with farmers and industry.

An SAC spokesman said with the majority of research funded by government and its science councils the research programmes reflected their priorities.

SAC, however, viewed applied research as vital and encouraged industry to use its influence to plug any gaps that it saw in current and planned programmes.