Blueprint for industry innovation published
Aquaculture features prominently in a new report setting out research priorities for the UK’s animal-based food sector.
Government-supported body the UK Agri-Tech Centre has published a report, “Livestock and Aquaculture innovation: the next ten years”, based on input from more than 150 stakeholders in the livestock and aquaculture industries.
The Agri-Tech Centre was created in April this year with core funding from Innovate UK, following the merger of three existing Agri-Tech Centres, the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL), Centre for Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) and Agri-EPI.
The report sets out 11 thematic priorities, which all fall within the Agri-Tech Centre’s strategic themes of One Health (an integrated approach linking animal health, human health and the health of ecosystems); Sustainable Production; Resilient Food Systems; and Intelligent Agriculture (using new technology, such as artificial intelligence, in food production).
The 11 priorities are:
- Animal Health
- Animal Welfare
- Food Safety, Quality and Nutritional Content
- Climate-Smart Solutions
- Productivity
- Optimised Diets
- Ecosystems and Biodiversity Improvement
- Optimised Land Performance
- Optimised Systems
- Data Assets
- Technology
The report also specifies sector-level priorities for dairy, beef, sheep, pig, poultry and aquaculture, and outlines the necessary research, development and innovation landscape required to support them.
For aquaculture, priority areas for research include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to climate change; developing breeding practices to enable the widespread use of optimal genetics; preventing contamination of wild genetics by escaped farmed fish; enhanced disease and parasite control; welfare of aquatic species and welfare at slaughter; improving gill health specifically; and predator protection.
Phil Bicknell, CEO, UK Agri-Tech Centre
Catalyst for innovation
Phil Bicknell, UK Agri-Tech Centre CEO, said: “Agri-tech innovation has significant potential to support sustainable and resilient livestock and aquaculture systems, but to do so, we must get ahead of the curve and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges today.
“This report should act as a catalyst for stakeholders across the supply chain to come together and explore solutions for these sectors. We are committed to working collaboratively with industry in response to our findings and to make headway on the innovation priorities identified. The steps we take now will shape the future, addressing pressures in areas such as animal health and maximising opportunities in others, for example, engineering biology.”
Dr Grace O’ Gorman, UK Agri-Tech Centre Head of External Relations, said: “In the next 10 years we must accelerate the development of sustainable, resilient systems that support global food security and one health. The livestock and aquaculture sectors face multiple challenges from the increasing demand for food and pressure to reduce and reverse environmental impact.
“The wide-ranging priorities described in this report are also cross-cutting and highlight the need for research to create a better evidence base to support the development of interrelated, systems-level solutions, while also accounting for the sector-specific requirements of livestock and aquaculture production.
“This is a fundamental approach to tackling innovation over the next ten years and beyond and is in harmony with the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s formation, which leverages cross-sector expertise and the capacity to drive innovative agri-tech research, development and adoption. By connecting science, business, funders and policymakers, we will build on the shared priorities raised in this report and identify opportunities with our stakeholders to drive impactful change.”
