I am the Sector Lead for Communities for the SEFARI Gateway. I have a wealth of experience, having worked on agricultural and rural policy matters with SRUC for the last 25 years.
Peter Wilson Building
West Mains Road
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
The CSC is run by the James Hutton Institute and is the largest field-scale experiment at the institute, extending over 42 hectares and growing a variety of crops. It will also be the longest running experiment, since we aim to maintain the site for a minimum of 3 rotations (18+ years) to get a better understanding of the long-term impact of changes in how our crops are managed.
I originally trained as a vet, but was less interested in treating individual animals, than in improving animal health and welfare in the population as a whole. I therefore moved sideways into veterinary epidemiology. In my present role I use a number of statistical and modelling techniques to make inferences from animal test and disease data, and determine the effect of various test and control strategies.
In a previous EPIC project, I have looked at data on E. coli O157 in calves, liver fluke in cattle, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD), sheep scab and bovine TB.
Dave is a researcher at the Moredun Research Institute, and his current research interests focus on improving diagnostics and control strategies for nematode infections of ruminants.
This is the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Royal Highland Show, taking place over 22nd-25th June at Ingliston Showground, is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s iconic events. Over the four days, the Show attracts nearly 200,000 visitors from across the world, each with a different background but with a common interest in all things farming and rural – just like us!
World Environment Day, on 5 June 2017, is designated as “the United Nations’ most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment”. The theme for 2017 is connecting people to nature, and the UN is urging individuals to do something to take care of the Earth, or become an agent of change.
Roots are rarely seen, but they are important and SEFARI research delves below the surface. Roots hold plants upright and soils in place. They acquire the water and nutrients plants need to grow and, thereby, underpin terrestrial food chains and the nutrition of humans and livestock. They can also be beautiful.
SEFARI has a crucial role in ensuring that the right research and expertise gets to the right people, at the right time and in the right format. This model has to deliver for policy makers, commercial interests and individuals alike – such challenges are shared the world over in the space between research and decision taking. SEFARI also has a role to better internationalise Scottish Government funded research on environment, food, agriculture and land.