A multi-million pound programme of strategic research delivered over five years providing science and evidence to support policymakers and its partners. Informed by strong partnerships and the needs of a broad range of stakeholders. Science at the heart of society contributing to the health, wealth and wellbeing of Scotland and beyond.
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Research
Ongoing research (2022-2027)
Effective business relationships in vertical supply chains are thought to: (a) reduce uncertainty (b) improve access to crucial resources and ⁄or (c) raise business productivity. This project aims to review the status-quo of collaboration and engagement between various stages of Scotland’s food and drink supply chain; to identify those points under acute pressure in the wake of recent shocks and recognising their strengths and weaknesses; and to identify means by which collaboration can be enhanced.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027
To maintain and improve animal welfare despite the UK's EU Exit, we will analyse how lower welfare standards from importing countries could impact farm sustainability, provide evidence on welfare issues relating to relevant standards, inform welfare aspects of CAP replacement, and develop welfare assessment methods (informed by emerging international standards). A selection of topical case studies will be produced and guided by policy developments.
- Animal Welfare
- 2022-2027
We are working with Holstein cows from representative genetic lines and typical feeding systems to investigate relationships between milk production, efficiency and the ability to withstand the effects of climate change on feed supply and composition. We are developing new measures of feed variability, describe it for typical feeding systems and investigate effects on milk production and cow health. This is done with diets designed to reduce C footprints. Our aim is to develop optimal breeding and management strategies for climate smart production, climate resilience and enhanced...
- Livestock Improvement
- 2022-2027
This project assesses how specific land uses and management activities affect biodiversity and ecosystem services to inform land use policy.
- Biodiversity
- 2022-2027
The aim of this project is to identify how the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) drivers affect key parts of Scotland’s biodiversity.
- Biodiversity
- 2022-2027
This project is developing tools and a framework to serve as the basis for future reviewing of the resilience of supply chains. These tools are used to understand the vulnerabilities and strengths within the Scottish food and drink supply chain – as a whole and sub-industry specific. The supply chains we are considering are pigs, beef, dairy and potatoes. Finally, within each supply chain, the project is identifying practical applications of the framework to demonstrate the value of investment and novel forms of intervention.
- Food Supply & Security
- 2022-2027
This project consists of an analysis of the Scottish demand for fruits and vegetables to help produce a detailed set of scenarios and recommendations about the scope and potential value of increasing soft fruit and vegetable production in Scotland. We are addressing topics such as: consumers' willingness to buy products out of season, consumers' interest on alternative to supermarkets retailing models, consumers' provenance preferences, and interest in plant-based products.
- Food Supply & Security
- 2022-2027
This project maps major food supply chains both within Scotland and those where Scottish industries are heavily involved to improve our understanding of how hey operate. To achieve this aim, we propose a methodology to be able to update changes in the maps, a modelled analysis of individual sectors that demonstrates where value is created, added, and lost during the supply chain, and to use the modelled analysis to simulate various scenarios whereby the value in the supply chain could be increased and distributed in Scotland among producers and processors.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027
Using large datasets related to trade, launching of products, and consumer purchases, this project is studying current trends in markets relevant for the Scottish food and drink sector.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027
This is project identifies and evaluates interventions and approaches which facilitate transformative change in how Scottish biodiversity is framed, valued, and managed. It also explores how the benefits of Scotland's biodiversity can be harnessed and more equitably distributed.
- Biodiversity
- 2022-2027