Insects as animal feed in Scotland: poised for growth?

As the global population grows, the demand for livestock products increases, but traditional livestock farming practices can have an environmental impact. The amount of land required for grazing, the large amounts of water and feed needed, and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock farming contribute to deforestation, water scarcity, and climate change. Insects, on the other hand, have the potential to be a sustainable source of protein for human consumption and animal feed.

FEC Check: Understanding sheep roundworm egg count results at a glance

Roundworms are typically controlled using anthelmintics, however, resistance to one or more of the 5 available drug classes is common on UK farms. Targeting our use of anthelmintics, by treating animals only when they require it, could slow the development of resistance and reduce chemical usage on farm. Faecal egg counts allow farmers to monitor whether animals require treatment, when to administer it and to check whether the treatment was effective.

The Tarland Catchment: Monitoring landscape interventions to improve water quality, benefit riparian habitat and mitigate flooding

The Tarland Burn Catchment (~70 km2) has been studied since the year 2000 making it one of the longest running comprehensive catchment management case studies in the UK. Critically there has been core funding support through cycles of Scottish Government strategic research programmes in turn, enabling integration with UK and European projects.

Exploring the potential of spatially referenced data to support the evolution of land-based policy in Scotland

The way we manage land and plan land-use change plays an integral role in the efforts for meeting climatic targets and for mitigating and adapting to climate change impacts. According to the current Land Use Strategy, the scale of future land-use change required is significant if we were to maximise the contribution of land towards a sustainable future for Scotland.