Foodborne toxoplasmosis: a study of retail meat

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that impacts human and animal health worldwide. Infection in humans is usually very mild, however, there can be severe or life-threatening disease in immune compromised people or pregnant women. Toxoplasma also impacts the livestock sector where it can cause abortion in sheep and goats. Foodborne transmission of T. gondii is thought to be a major source of infection in people, particularly the consumption of raw or undercooked meat.

Carbon neutrality requirements may bring vertical collaboration to the pig supply chain

The agri-food market environment, where the Scottish food and drink sector operates is often characterised by high price instability in product and input markets. In such an environment, effective business relationships along supply chains have the possibility to reduce uncertainty. For instance, by securing a more stable inflow of orders and increasing quality and safety assurances associated with inputs.

Fastbreeders – accelerating genetic improvement for farm and food resilience

FastBreeders is a collaboration between four progressive farmers located in South West Scotland. Highly educated and with years of experience and professional development, the group share the same vision for resilient dairy systems that have minimal environmental impact. Their joint operations can exploit economies of scale, benefit from increased selection intensity in breeding animals and build resilience because genetic material can move freely across the four farms.

Small, but Mighty: Understanding animal disease using miniature lab-grown organs

Infectious diseases have a major impact on the welfare and productivity of animals raised for food production worldwide. Furthermore, poor productivity leads to increased carbon emissions, and the drugs used to control infections can harm the environment and reduce biodiversity. Therefore, better control of infections in food producing animals will play a key role in achieving important policy goals, including Net-Zero and Biodiversity targets.

Dr Dave McBey

David's work is concerned with sustainable and healthy diets, and how behaviour change may be accomplished in all parts of the food system. He is currently studying the pathways to healthy and sustainable diets in Scotland. Using a wide toolkit of qualitative methods, David is unpicking the barriers, whether real or perceived, to diet change.

 

Previously, he has worked in the University of Aberdeen Environmental Modelling Group, looking at agricultural practices in China and Ethiopia.

Dave McBey

The Rowett Institute
Foresterhill House
Ashgrove Rd W
Aberdeen
AB25 2ZD

Making silk purses out of sows’ ears – challenges facing a Scottish pig farmer

Scotland’s pork sector is under financial pressure. One way to address this could be to increase the value added to Scottish pork. This case study, which focusses on a Scottish pork producer, provides insights into an enterprise serving the high value pork products market and the challenges it faces.

Scotland Europe Initiative Workshop: Agriculture

Agriculture is a devolved competence and post-Brexit the Scottish Government (SG) chose to make its own arrangements for replacing support payments to farmers which were previously governed through the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 28 September 2023. The Bill commits SG to consult on the nature of the support, the purposes of which are

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Low-intensity cereal rotation and organic production can reduce the risk of mycotoxin contamination in oats

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by fungal infection of agricultural crops. Several hundred mycotoxins have been characterized in a wide range of food crops around the world, and new mycotoxins and mycotoxin metabolites are continuously discovered. Mycotoxins can cause adverse health effects in humans including cancer, gastrointestinal disturbances or suppression of the immune system.

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