UK Agri-Tech Centre’s experts talk poultry innovation and sustainability

Dr Fiona Short and Paddy Tarbuck, Innovation Leads at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, joined Tom Willings in the studio for the Sustainability Hub podcast edition.

During the episode Fiona and Paddy talked about their mission to help transform agriculture through the discoveries and developments of science-led research, and the type of support that is available to help farmers and those working in the farming industry.

Fiona and Paddy discuss the recent merger of the UK Agri-Tech Centre, which celebrates its first anniversary in April, as well as the support it offers such as funding support, access to expertise, the connection of businesses with academia and science and the project management skills to unlock investment.

In addition, Paddy, Fiona and Tom discuss whether pressures from the supply chain have helped or hindered the adoption of technology or practices that could move the dial.

With Fiona’s expertise in the poultry nutrition sector, they discussed the use of novel proteins and their regulation, as well as supply chains and split-feeding.

Paddy, who has a focus on agri-food and sustainability, talked about resilience and risk awareness as being beneficial perspectives to note.

Regardless of the area of focus in the farming industry, the UK Agri-Tech Centre can help to bring potential and ideas to life and create lasting value within the farming industry.

Paddy Tarbuck, innovation lead for agri-food sustainability at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, said: “On the back of the merger and growing from quite a small group at CIEL to a large group overnight has meant we’ve got this blend of expertise, new capabilities and research facilities that we didn’t have before, which is enormous in terms of opportunity.

“We’ve been unpicking and unlocking the potential of that through a variety of different forms, such as our projects, commercial research and development, research and development on our farms and our farm network, and that has meant that we are extremely busy which is a good sign and a privilege.”

Paddy added that from a poultry perspective, it is often a forgotten sector, particularly when we talk about environmental impact and net zero in livestock.

He said: “It’s one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK with an enormous amount of innovation and technology potential.

“We’d love to be able to support this growth through coordinated and strategic research, as well as supporting job and skills growth in the sector, and we’re doing exactly that at the minute, bringing in good people and recruiting where we can.”

Dr Fiona Short, innovation lead for animal health and nutrition at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, said: “Our work is about involving the industry at an early stage and talking to them about their technology, how it works for them and any feedback that can improve the way it works for them.

“It’s about helping the farmer, and the wider industry, get the best outcome in the long-term and that’s where the UK Agri-Tech Centre comes in.

“We can bring industry together to network at our workshops and other events because we know that they listen to each other and can learn from one another.

“For those who want to be involved, the best thing is to contact us, visit the website or come and see us at the many events we attend throughout the year – we will be happy to listen and assess your needs and find a way to help.

“We have many contacts in the industry that we can link in with for various enquiries.”

If you’d like to talk to the team about the work they do or to find out how they can help you, email [email protected] or [email protected].

Alternatively, you can visit the website at www.ukagritechcentre.com

To listen to the podcast visit https://poultry.network/uk-agri-tech-centres-fiona-short-and-paddy-tarbuck-talk-poultry-innovation-and-sustainability/