There is an accompanying case study template to help you structure your piece.
If you would like to write a case study for SEFARI Gateway, please get in touch with our communications and engagement officer and/or our centre manager. Learn who they are here - About Us.
This case study template accompanies our case study guidance document.
If you would like to write a case study on your work for SEFARI Gateway please get in touch with our communications and engagement officer and/or our centre manager: About Us
Peat has long been a major ingredient in UK horticulture, but with its use declining and public interest in sustainable alternatives rising, there is increasing demand for clear, trustworthy information about growing media. A Responsible Sourcing Scheme (RSS) has been developed to help consumers understand the environmental impact of compost products through an A–E rating system. To support Scottish Government decision-making on future peat policy, a short review assessed the strengths and limitations of the RSS calculator. The review highlights where the tool can guide responsible sourcing and where refinements are needed, particularly around greenhouse gas emissions, supply-chain transparency and alignment with Scottish policy.
by David Boldrin, David Miller, Roy Neilson and Robin Pakeman
James Hutton Institute
As improving nutritional quality and sustainability can raise production costs, understanding willingness to pay is crucial. This study shows that taste and price are the strongest drivers of UK cheese purchases. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for Scottish cheddar, though a “British” label generates higher perceived value. Sustainability claims, especially “Carbon Neutral”, and nutrition messaging such as “High in Protein”, further increase willingness to pay and strengthen product appeal. These findings suggest that using targeted ecolabels and health claims could help Scottish cheddar achieve stronger market positioning, justify higher prices, and better align with evolving consumer expectations.
Does producing higher-quality food lead to a price premium in the market? We analysed the impact that a Protected Geographical (PGI) label had on the price and sales of Orkney cheddar, which gained its PGI status in 2013. A PGI label identifies a product as originating in a specific place, region or country, and has a known quality, reputation of other characteristic attributable to that specific location. Using data from 2006–2023, we examined sales and pricing to measure policy impact. While Orkney cheddar is priced above other cheddars, it’s unclear if the PGI itself has boosted profits.
Environmental enrichment is about adding features to simple/unfurnished environments used to
house intensively managed farm animals. To be effective, enrichments should have positive effects
on animal welfare. This briefing provides a summary of current legal and farm assurance standards
for enrichment in the UK and an analysis of these standards in terms of delivering effective
enrichment.
Animal welfare relies on both the prevention of suffering and the facilitation of positive experiences. A growing body of academic literature considers the concept of ‘animal agency’ to be a key organising principle of positive welfare - over and above having good things, positive welfare is about doing them.
Exercising agency is to lead an active life, applying effort, competence and choice in fulfilling one’s own needs and wishes. Through expression of agency, animals flourish, actively creating well-being for themselves rather than passively consuming it. This policy brief considers strategies for facilitating animal agency on farms and proposes pathways for incorporating these in Scottish Government policy guidelines for environmental enrichment.