The proposed development of a Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) has drawn support from more than 80 companies and nearly 30 industry organisations according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
The next step in the process is for potential industry investors to be involved in “refining the proposal”, a requirement which will be addressed during a workshop at Fera, near York, on June 5.
“We’re now at the stage where the industry needs to take ownership to develop the CIEL bid,” said AHDB/BPEX head of technical, Andrew Knowles, adding that it is important for as many backers as possible to attend the June 5 meeting.
“This is a unique opportunity for the livestock industry to put itself at the front of global research and development. The timescale has been short but the support we have received from across the livestock industry has been fantastic. Everybody is committed to making this bid a success to take the industry into an exciting future.”
The overall industry-led submission is for a £34m investment in the UK livestock research and development sector and to establish a single UK-wide centre. The money will be matched over five years by commitment from industry partners in the form of cash and in-kind investments in research.
This funding will also be co-funded by academic institutes over five years to realise a total investment of more than £83m, equalling the money requested from Government.
