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Nutritional interventions to reduce enteric methane or ammonia emissions from cattle are applied with no consideration for trade-offs with other gaseous emissions. Lack of facilities measuring multiple gases simultaneously means there is little data to investigate trade-offs. We conducted a meta-analysis of published studies investigating enteric methane or ammonia mitigation from dairy cows where both gases were measured or one could be estimated by proxy. We found potential for win-win scenarios, particularly with ammonia mitigation strategies. Studies measuring multiple gases and
Work in the current, and previous, Strategic Research Programmes has developed a new vaccine to control louping ill, a tick-borne disease primarily affecting sheep and red grouse. Louping ill causes significant economic losses for farmers and grouse estates in Scotland and is increasing in prevalence. Working together with key industry partners, and with funding from farming and moorland stakeholders, a novel approach is now being taken to commercialise the vaccine. This will involve transferring the production process to commercial scale before performing studies to ensure the safety and
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
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
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
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
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
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
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