Back to HOMEPAGE Concern expressed over lack of expertise
in livestock nutrition
James Irvine
Editor: www.land-care.org.uk
Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie Perthshire
Filed 08Feb10
©www.land-care.org.uk
Turiff-based Harbro is a leading firm in the supply of feedstuffs to farmers for their cattle, sheep and pigs. Indeed, Harbro is the supplier of blended concentrates for the cattle on Cultybraggan Farm, at Comrie, Perthshire
A recent meeting arranged by Harbro at Aberlour in the North-East of Scotland has been reported by Joe Watson, farming editor The Press & Journal (1).
Mother watches over frisky pedigree bull calf at
Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie, Perthshire
(to enlarge photo Click Here)
Photo ©Kimpton Graphics
Willie Thomson of Harbro stated his concern that there appeared to be no home-grown expertise being trained to replace the high level of knowledge currently available to the firm. He feared that in future Harbro may well have to look overseas for the necessary expert advice on feed regimes.
He also stated his concern that the animal feed industry had little input into deciding what type of research projects were to be funded. With regard to suckler cows he reckoned that research undertaken by US universities was often now more relevant to their nutritional needs. Aberdeen University has decided to virtually drop agriculture from its research and educational activities. Indeed most universities in the UK no longer have a Department of Agriculture. The Rowett Institute at Aberdeen, which has long been famous for its work on animal nutrition, has had to change its direction of research from livestock to human nutrition. This was at the behest of the Scottish Government who largely fund it.
The need for research on animal nutrition should be promoted, rather than cut back. Scotland has lost many of its industries. Its financial sector, supposedly the economic saviour of everything, has bad a monumental crash. Scotland's iconic beef industry is under serious threat with most suckler herd farms in the Scottish uplands barely able to meet costs let alone invest.
Competent research is urgently needed to put into overall perspective the effect, adverse or beneficial, ruminates may have on greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane. Too often the glib statement that cows produce methane, so cows are bad, is what we hear from strong lobby groups (2). They presumably ignore the facts that grass grown for cows to eat is a powerful absorber of carbon dioxide (photosynthesis) and bacteria in the soil can be powerful absorbers of methane. Nevertheless research needs to be done on how to reduce methane production in the rumen of cattle. Quite apart from global benefits in helping to reduce climate change, there should be rich commercial benefits from the intellectual knowledge acquired by a successful research team working in this area. If the UK takes too long to get started or conducts poor quality science, others will succeed and the UK will find itself having to buy-in such knowledge rather than export it.
Professor Bob Watson delivering a public lecture at the
Royal Society of Edinburgh on 10th December 2009, entitled
"The technology - policy challenges to address climate changes
and biodiversity loss."
(Photo ©Kimpton Graphics)
At a public lecture at the Royal Society of Edinburgh in December 2009 (3), defra chief scientist Professor Bob Watson of the University of East Anglia, made a sweeping statement about the adverse effect cattle are alleged to have on global warming but without analysing the situation in any depth. As it now transpires lack of scientific rigor has been a rather common fault with the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report of 2007(4): a report in which Bob Watson played a substantial role, along with other scientists at the University of East Anglia.
When it was pointed out to Professor Watson in his capacity as defra chief scientist, that agricultural research in the UK in relation to livestock husbandry is in poor shape, and that most UK universities had closed their departments of agriculture, he reassured the audience that all was well. But as Willie Thomson of Harbro has pointed out, it is not.
The contempt and despair of the Scottish livestock industry regarding the the policies of Defra are well articulated by Joe Watson, Farming Editor of The Press & Journal (5).
©www.land-care.org.u
References
1. Watson, Joe (2010).Firm’s concern at ‘lack of expertise.’ Company fears it may have to go overseas to source data on livestock feed regimes.
The Press & Journal,
6th February 2010. Click Here to Read
2. Oxfam GB Briefing Paper (2009). 4-a-week. Changing food consumption in the UK to benefit people and planet. March 2009. Click Here to read (pdf)
3. Watson, Bob (2009). The technology - policy challenges to address climate changes and biodiversity loss. Video taped public lecture given to the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 10th December 2009. Click Here to View
4. Irvine, James (2010). Major flaws are being revealed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: and there could be more to come
Back to HOMEPAGE, filed 24Jan10. www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View
5. Watson, Joe (2010). Livestock production in firing line.
The Press & JOurnal, 8th February 2010 Click Here to Read
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