Campden BRI supports new centre for crop health

Campden BRI is delighted to be supporting the newly created Crop Health and Protection Centre, created under the Government's Agri-Tech Strategy.

The new Centre for Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) has been launched under the government's Agri-Tech strategy, which was launched in 2013 to ensure that its investment in agriculture delivers material benefits for society and the economy in the UK and overseas. CHAP will lead the way in developing solutions to the challenges facing world agriculture, bringing together the best expertise, knowledge and insight from leading research organisations and industries in the sector. This collaboration between academia and industry will, for the first time, give farmers access to the best and most sustainable technologies, strategies and protocols to improve crop performance, making a real difference at the farm gate.

CHAP has secured £21.3 million of government investment over four years and will be headquartered at the National Agri-Food Innovation campus at Sand Hutton near York. CHAP’s consortium partners include Bayer CropScience, Farmcare, Frontier Agriculture, Dow AgroSciences, Tesco, Stockbridge Technology and Unilever, alongside AHDB, CABI, Cranfield University, FERA Science Ltd, Newcastle University, ADAS, The Met Office, Warwick University, Campden BRI and Rothamsted Research. CHAP will enable these organisations, alongside retailers, processors, agronomists and manufacturers, to share resources, optimise return on research and development costs, reduce waste and accelerate the registration process for new products.

Interim CEO of CHAP Ltd, Dr Andrew Swift, said, "CHAP will establish the UK as a world-leader in agri-technology, innovation and sustainability. It will create an environment that encourages the exchange of leading edge knowledge, resulting in greater innovation and wider access to the best available technologies and solutions. By taking science to the farm, CHAP will help farmers, growers and the food industry to improve yield, reduce costs and meet the need for sustainable solutions to present and future challenges."

Prof. Sam Millar, Campden BRI's Director of Technology comments "Crop protection is essential to securing a sustainable supply of food, but is also subject to many changing pressures. Following the creation of our Primary Production and Processing department, we have plans for further investment to expand our existing capabilities and expertise in the area of primary production, raw materials and ingredients, and primary processing operations. As a key intermediary for the translation of science and technology into practical benefit for the food supply chain, Campden BRI will work with the CHAP partners to deliver focused innovation for producers, processors, retailers and consumers bringing to bear our unique insight into both the worlds of technology and food production."