Gold-standard welfare assessments of dairy cattle, e.g., Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA), require training and are time consuming in a sector with labour constraints. Utilising existing sensors on farm for management purposes (e.g. oestrus detection) for welfare evaluation could benefit farmers and the wider industry. As with QBA, sensors enable early detection of health/welfare issues, supporting management decisions and productivity, without substantial labour demands. This study demonstrated the assessment of welfare in dairy cattle via automated animal-mounted sensor data, with sensor-derived behavioural features classifying mood states (positive or negative as per QBA scores) in 61% of observations. Demonstrating additional benefits of sensors on farm could further increase uptake of data-driven solutions. Furthermore, this research provides evidence of a potential automated measure of on-farm welfare using technologies commercially available, which could be used to inform and gain trust from consumers, as well as being utilised for welfare schemes and by processors.
Using capacity developed since 2008 (Brian Pack inquiry, Agricultural Support), SRP research shaped the 2015 reform of payment regions. The 2022-27 SRP has supporting policy options from the Vision for Agriculture. In particular, the analysis, of the impact and uptake of Enhanced Conditionality (EC) measures (with SRP experts from biodiversity, soils and waters). EC will fundamentally reshape what public subsidies deliver for climate and biodiversity crises. The analysis, with SRUC colleagues, also reconsidered payment regions and related mechanism to make them more fit for purpose. The analysis informed deliberations by RESAS analysts, RPID officials and policy teams before the Agriculture Reform Bill and by the Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board. The research is also shaping the ARP Monitoring and Evaluation framework. The SRP capacity has been further exploited in UNC (Support-to-Policy) and Contract Research (3 since 2019). The analytical frameworks have also informed deliberations on grouse moor management, the Land Use Strategy and the Land Reform Bill.
Disease-related crop losses threaten UK potato production, with £50 million spent annually controlling late blight alone. Potato cyst nematodes further endanger the seed industry. Genomic tools, particularly diagnostic Resistance gene enrichment Sequencing (dRenSeq), have transformed resistance breeding. Our research generated high-resolution disease resistance gene profiles for 657 commercial cultivars and 200 wild accessions worldwide. This resource informs parental selection, enables strategic stacking of resistance genes against major pests and diseases, and accelerates marker development. Critically, it has shortened the breeding cycle from 10–12 years to as little as seven, expediting delivery of resistant, high-performing potato varieties to growers.
Mycotoxins are toxic fungal food contaminants which pose an emerging health risk and major cost to cereal production. Regulatory mycotoxin limits in food are developed by the EU and UK, and significant data gaps exist in mycotoxin occurrence and risk factors impacting prevalence. This project has demonstrated frequent mycotoxin occurrence in Scottish cereals and cereal foods. Data on occurrence of regulated mycotoxins and mycotoxin metabolites have been submitted to the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland as well as the European Food Safety Authority. This evidence informs risk analysis on national and international level to protect consumers and support trade. Looking at risk factors, this project has identified organic production and low-intensity cereal rotations as mitigation strategies to lower mycotoxin prevalence. Future work needs to assess how sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices will impact mycotoxin risks and use predictive modelling to assess known and emerging fungal mycotoxin risks in a changing climate.
Work undertaken in SRUC-E2-2 (Reimagined policy futures: Shaping sustainable, inclusive and just rural and island communities in Scotland) has reviewed the evolution of rural policies and policy approaches in Scotland. This work has informed policy design in Scotland - particularly the forthcoming Rural Delivery Plan and recently launched Rural Assessment Toolkit - and beyond, including the guidance that has been issued by the European Commission to shape the rural proofing activities of Member States, and by the WHO and OECD on rural proofing in global contexts. It has also led to involvement in an expert panel advising the government of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain on how to implement and evaluate rural proofing.
Estimating future behaviours is a key uncertainty in policy planning. Farming practice adoption work has mainly focused on farmers, often ignoring how the practice would fit in the farm operations and the role of policy and industry. We are investigating how the ADOPT tool (https://adopt.csiro.au/), which considers these aspects, can be useful in policy planning and how, and whether, it can aid comparative discussions on policy interventions. We selected two practices of high interest for Scottish Government: cover crops and 3-NOP. The expert workshops confirmed that the tool can greatly support a detailed discussion on the barriers of and opportunities for uptake but is too uncertain for quantitative modelling. Policy workshops participants indicated that the discussion of policy interventions were very helpful, both to understand the technicalities of the practices and to think about the policy mechanisms in detail. More practices will be examined, based on demand from Scottish Government.
Scottish hill and upland sheep are adapted to produce high-quality protein from poor-quality marginal land. With increased focus on climate change, efficiency and environmental impact of livestock production, “Breeding and managing Scottish hill sheep to meet future economic, environmental and climatic challenges” assesses genetic selection and/or crossbreeding, alongside management strategies, to achieve these goals.
Through Diageo funding from 2023-2025 we undertook soil health testing across Scotland (20 farms and 80 fields) utilising biological, chemical and physical indicators of soil health. Ongoing and historic research within the strategic research programme supported the development of these agricultural soil health indicators and guided sampling. Developed indicators have been validated on our research platforms (for example the Centre for Sustainable Cropping and organic amendment platform) and at plot scales, supporting the deployment of robust indicators at farm and field scales. Data is now being used by the supply chain to strategically deploy agronomic practices to improve soil health.
Reform of Scottish Agricultural policies imply environmental objectives are incorporated within traditional goals of food security and farm income viability. However, setting realistic but ambitious targets across economic, environmental, and biophysical dimensions remains a major challenge for policymakers. We present work using four years of the Farm Business Survey data showing the use of estimation approaches to identify best practices across income, environmental and food security domains. This covers a range of methods, from estimation-based approaches to novel applications of machine learning. Robust measures of progress are essential for cost-effective policy implementation and this poster will outline the implications for future policy analysis .
C4 WP4 research provides robust evidence to accelerate Scotland’s transition from single-use to reusable packaging. A national study on returnable packaging identified adoption-ready consumer segments, key behavioural barriers, and the packaging attributes that shape decisions. Complementary experiments on single-use cups demonstrated that a 25–30p charge can halve disposable use. Together, these findings specify charge thresholds, deposit structures, and targeting strategies. The pathway to impact lies in enabling policymakers to design effective reuse regulations, giving industry stakeholders the evidence to calibrate deposit-return schemes, and equipping NGOs and communicators to engage consumers with tailored messages. By informing charge design, deposit levels, infrastructure priorities, and public engagement approaches, the research provides actionable levers for systemic change. The impact extends beyond academic knowledge, directly shaping regulatory options, guiding business investment in reuse models, and positioning Scotland as a leader in circular economy policy development with lessons for the wider UK and internationally.