Breeding venture
Breeding venture
A NEW venture involving three of the countrys leading dairy research teams aims to put Edinburgh firmly on the map as one of the worlds leading cattle breeding research centres.
Edinburgh University, SACs dairy research unit at Langhill, and the Roslin Institute have teamed up to create the Edinburgh Consortium. The new venture will involve sharing facilities and expertise to allow scientists to compete for research projects.
In turn, those masterminding the project hope that it will result in benefits for the entire UK dairy industry.
With long-term research funding increasingly difficult to secure, and with those providing it demanding greater value for money, the consortium believes the best way forward is to work together.
SACs Mike Coffey, who will co-ordinate the consortium, said the venture provided a platform on which to build for the next 20 years.
"We want to provide unrivalled resources for dairy cattle breeding research," he said.
Work on genetics and breeding involved long-term projects, so there was a need to provide a stable research environment to allow that to continue, Mr Coffey added.
In order to determine the sort of research the teams should be doing, consortium members would, periodically, review issues affecting the dairy industry. Farmers, funding providers, consumers representatives and members of pressure groups, among others, would be involved in discussions.
"That will allow us to create integrated research proposals based on a thorough understanding of all issues currently affecting industry and those likely to create pressure in future. Our aim is to improve the competitiveness of UK dairy farmers," he said.