A living laboratory for livestock will be built at the University of Bristol Veterinary School thanks to a £1 million donation from the John Oldacre Foundation.
The facility is being built to train the next generation of vets and agriculturalists to help address the major issues facing agriculture and will be called The John Oldacre Centre for Sustainability and Welfare in Dairy Production.
Tackling challenges
Scientists predict that, at the current rate of population growth, by 2050 the equivalent of four-and-a-half additional planets will be needed to feed everyone. The new centre is being built to help tackle some of these challenges around ethical food security.
Based within Wyndhurst Farm – the University of Bristol’s commercially run dairy unit at Langford – the centre will be equipped with the latest data collection devices, such as motion detection, GPS tracking and thermographic sensors to gather data that will identify and support changes in agricultural practices.
‘Vital contribution’
Richard Hammond, head of the University of Bristol Veterinary School, said: “With more than 50 years of world-leading teaching and research in animal welfare and farming, Bristol Veterinary School can make a vital contribution to this critical challenge.
“Thanks to this generous donation from the John Oldacre Foundation, we can embark on pioneering new research that we hope will play a vital role in advancing sustainable farming and animal welfare, and tackle some of the major agriculture issues that face the world today.”
Students
As well as being a research resource, the centre will teach undergraduate and postgraduate students in animal production and livestock research, understanding and communicating data, and engagement with the wider farming community.
Since 2003, the John Oldcacre Foundation has supported the vet school and, in honour of the donation, the school will support postgraduate studentships each year.
Key aims
Key aims of the laboratory include to:
- identify key problems and new research questions
- help find new solutions to these problems
- educate future generations of students on sustainable dairy production and welfare
- share the benefits with the UK and global farming community