Three members of the EFRA (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Select Committee spent a day at National Agri-Food Innovation Campus (NAFIC) near York on Tuesday 13 February to see the very latest science and technology being developed by Fera Science Limited (Fera).
Fera is a joint venture between Capita plc and Defra, and Crop Health and Protection Ltd (CHAP), one of the government’s four agri-tech centres. The work of Fera and CHAP supports sustainable intensification of farming to increase the UK’s food security and competitiveness in international agri-food export markets.
Welcoming the group, Dr Andrew Swift, Chief Executive of Fera, acknowledged the inter-relation of Fera and CHAP, and the support of each of their principal stakeholders including Defra, Beis, and Innovate UK. He explained that there has seldom been a more important time in recent history for the UK to meet the challenges of the global agri-food economy as it prepares for exit from the European Union.
The three MPs, including Chairman Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton) and local MP Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (who are both farmers) and Angela Smith (Penistone and Stockbridge), saw at first hand some of the technologies and services being developed by Fera and CHAP. During the meeting they reviewed the breadth of expert services delivered by Fera in support of Defra since it entered into public private sector partnership with Capita in April 2015, and learned how the joint venture has succeeded not only in sustaining the Government’s investment in internationally renowned science and research, but has enhanced the reach and benefit of UK science to a wider user base.
As well as learning about how Fera was protecting the UK from the threat of incursions such as the Asian Hornet and international food fraud, they also heard how Fera and CHAP were committing resources to support regional economic development, both in skills development and training (from graduate recruitment to at all levels of apprenticeship).
A tour of the site included a visit to the E-Flows mesocosm (outdoor laboratory) which is currently under construction and will accelerate the introduction of new plant protection products which are safer for the environment; a stop at one of CHAP’s mobile trailers available to farmers, growers and agronomists for on-farm diagnosis and solutions to crop health problems; a demonstration of a brand new experimental station to assess Vertical Farming which is being developed locally at Stockbridge Technology Centre and an introduction to CHAP’s smart technologies and precision machinery.
CHAP CEO, Fraser Black, said that he was very encouraged by the engagement shown by the Select Committee and their willingness and eagerness to understand the relevance of what we are doing to improve productivity, thanks to the combination of innovative technology and the best scientific expertise.
After the tour committee chairman, Neil Parish MP said, “This has been an incredibly interesting day and given us a lot to think about. It’s all very necessary going forward if we want to make sure that the rising population is better fed. I am certain that Fera and CHAP will be at the forefront of this."
Angela Smith MP, who is also vice chair (to Julian Sturdy) of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Science and Technology in Agriculture also said that she was “hugely impressed and that the productivity gains from these technologies are enormous.”
The MPs will produce a report on their visit to share with their colleagues and were enthusiastic to return to NAFIC to see how the technologies are working once they come on stream.
