31 Oct 2019

Scotland’s Dinner Plate 2050

Leading industry and SEFARI science representatives from Scotland’s food, drink and agricultural sectors came together to discuss and speculate what Scotland’s dinner plate may look like in 2050. 

  • Food & Drink Innovation
  • Healthier Foods
  • SEFARI Gateway

27 Aug 2019

Infrared Spectroscopy – Helping to Protect Scotland’s Soils

Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy is a versatile analytical technique that can characterise a wide variety of different sample types e.g. from drugs and plastics to soil and minerals.

  • Climate and the Environment
  • Science Education

30 Jul 2019

Exploring the Gender Pay Gap in Rural Scotland

This scoping study explored the extent of the gender pay gap in rural Scotland, how it has changed over recent years, and potential reasons that might explain its extent and fluctuations over time.

  • Rural Economy

19 Jul 2019

The Impact of Change on Rural Businesses

Through a series of Rural Business Surveys, our research is developing a better understanding of the characteristics, contributions and aspirations of rural businesses across the South and North-East of Scotland. 

  • Rural Economy

12 Jun 2019

Is the demographic tide turning for some Island Communities?

In recent months population trends in remote and Sparsely Populated Areas (SPA) of Scotland have become a political issue, not least due to fears about the likely impact of post-Brexit migration policy.

  • Rural Economy
  • Land and Communities

3 Jun 2019

Barbervax®: giving blood-sucking parasitic worms a taste of their own medicine

This case study is part of a series focusing on the importance of sustained funding for fundamental and strategic research. The first in this series summarises the research behind Barbervax®: a vaccine for the Barber’s Pole Worm, Haemonchus contortus.

  • Plant and Animal Health

21 May 2019

Long-term warming of the River Spey

River temperature influences biogeochemical processes and aquatic ecology. Sustaining cool river temperatures in Scotland is essential for aquatic ecology (including the habitat and health of Atlantic salmon (Salmo Salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta).

  • Climate and the Environment

1 May 2019

Scotland’s harmful acidic soils - Can liming improve cropping sustainability?

The Soil Survey of Scotland shows that large areas of Scotland have acidic soils. Soils with a pH less than 5.6 inhibit root growth, which can reduce crop yields.

  • Agriculture

23 Apr 2019

Cadmium, crabmeat and consumer health

Crabmeat is an excellent source of protein but also provides good levels of important minerals, vitamins and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. However, the meat from the brown crab (Cancer pagurus) can also contain the heavy metal cadmium, both in the white meat but especially so in the brown meat.

  • Healthier Foods

20 Mar 2019

Learning By Doing: Understanding and Managing for Ecological Resilience

Our natural environment is facing threats from a range of environmental drivers, including climate change, invasive non-native species, novel pests and diseases, over-exploitation, and pollution.

  • Climate and the Environment

20 Mar 2019

Mycotoxin contamination in cereal products and human exposure from the diet

Mycotoxins are unavoidable, natural food contaminants which are produced by fungi growing on agricultural crops. Growth can occur in the field or in storage.

  • Food & Drink Innovation
  • Healthier Foods

6 Mar 2019

Climate Change and Parasitism – Breaking the Cycle

This case study will summarise ongoing research on Teladorsagia circumcincta, one of the most common and economically important endemic parasites to control in sheep in the UK.

  • Agriculture
  • Climate and the Environment
  • Plant and Animal Health

27 Feb 2019

Socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors in Scotland

In May 2017, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform announced commissioning of “research into the costs and benefits of large shooting estates to Scotland’s economy and biodiversity”1. The focus of the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement was ‘driven grouse shooting’.

  • Climate and the Environment

28 Jan 2019

Breeding to Reduce Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle

Beef production is very important for Scotland's economy (economic output of £851 million in 2017) and for providing the high quality and iconic, ‘Scotch Beef’ brand.

  • Agriculture
  • Climate and the Environment
  • Food & Drink Innovation

14 Jan 2019

Common Interest Groups: Helping smaller businesses to succeed through partnership

The food and drink supply chain is dominated by small and micro businesses. In Scotland more than 95% of businesses in the sector employ less than 12 people. Many of these smaller companies have a common desire to grow and succeed but this can be is hampered by their size.

  • Rural Economy

13 Dec 2018

The Demographic Challenges Facing Scotland's Sparsely Populated Areas

This case study summarises ongoing work exploring how changes in the population of remote and rural areas in Scotland affect the social, economic and ecological resilience of these areas.

  • Land and Communities
  • Rural Economy

5 Nov 2018

The economic cost of animal disease: Winners and losers from Johne’s disease

SEFARI scientists, in collaboration with other research partners, provide evidence which informs the Scottish Government about the economic consequences of animal diseases.

  • Agriculture
  • Rural Economy

16 Oct 2018

The Fruits of Their Labour: Seasonal Farm Workers in Scottish Agriculture

Scotland’s agricultural sector relies heavily on seasonal non-UK workers, particularly from central and eastern Europe, to meet its labour demand. Despite their importance for this sector, there was a lack of detailed information about them This case study draws on findings from SRUC’s recent study, funded by the Scottish Government, which aimed to improve our understanding of the labour market in Scottish agriculture. 

  • Rural Economy

8 Oct 2018

Governing Scotland’s natural resources: are our policies sufficiently joined -up?

Decisions about natural resources need to balance multiple interests and goals in order to safeguard Scotland’s economic, social and environmental prosperity.   However, many existing policies for the environment focus on separate problems, such as pro

  • Climate and the Environment

14 Aug 2018

Citizen Science: How to Investigate Pests and Diseases Under Climate Change

We have created a state-of-the-art, and free to download, desktop app to provide climate change risk assessments for crops pests and diseases in the UK that anyone can use.

  • Agriculture
  • Climate and the Environment

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