Summary of the impact

Impact: Economic, animal health and welfare: Genetic markers have enabled selection of salmon lines with improved virus resistance

Significance: UK salmon industry benefit estimated at ~£26 million/annum GVA following identification of a genetic trait conferring resistance to an economically devastating viral disease.

Beneficiaries: Salmon farming industry, consumers

Attribution: Work performed by Houston, Bishop, Woolliams and Haley (Roslin Institute, now part of UoE).

Reach: Aquaculture industry internationally, i.e. Europe and South America (Chile).

Summary of the impact

Impact: Economic: Genomic selection has revolutionised, and is now standard practice, in the major dairy cattle, pig and chicken breeding programmes, worldwide and provides multiple quantifiable benefits to breeders, producers, consumers and animals.

Significance: Increased food production world-wide

Beneficiaries: Breeding companies, primary producers, consumers, livestock.

Attribution: Work led by Haley and Woolliams (Roslin Institute now part of UoE).

Reach: Methodologies applied worldwide in livestock improvement, and more recently applied in human genetics and plant breeding.

Summary of the impact

Impact: Economic / animal health and welfare / environment: Improved profitability and sustainability of the UK dairy industry.

Significance: The use of the Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) increased the profitability of the dairy sector by an estimated £634M in 2008-2013 and reduced the greenhouse gas emissions from the sector by an estimated 8.4%.

Beneficiaries: Dairy producers, breeding companies, general public/environment, dairy cattle welfare and health.

Attribution: Drs Wall, Mrode (SRUC), and Brotherstone (UoE), Profs. Coffey, Simm, Stott, Veerkamp, Oldham (SRUC), and Woolliams (UoE/Roslin)

Reach: UK dairy industry. Tools developed, such as the routine recording of body condition score, and using these data in national genetic evaluations, have been widely adopted internationally, including in major dairy genetics exporting countries such as the USA, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Summary of the impact

Impact: Animal Health and Welfare, Economics: The BVD vaccine associated with emergence of BNP was withdrawn from sale.

Significance: BNP cases have been reported worldwide. On affected farms, the case fatality rate is very high, with losses of up to 5% of calves in a herd being reported. Despite the vaccine being withdrawn, cases continue to be found in some calves born to dams that have been historically vaccinated. In addition, reporting has increased due to increased awareness and Zoetis subsidising post-mortem examinations. However, as an indirect measure, the number of cases being diagnosed at post-mortem at SRUC fell by 42% between 2012 and 2013.

Beneficiaries: Livestock Industry, Animal Health Company, Farmers.

Attribution: Work performed by University of Edinburgh (Penny, Morrison, Sargison, Bell) and SRUC (Hosie, Howie, Kerr, Caldow) identified BNP as a new disease entity, elucidated the cause, and developed strategies to reduce the incidence. This also involved a collaboration with the Moredun Research Institute (Willoughby)

Reach: BNP is recognised world-wide (a peak of 4500 cases in 2011) including France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, and Spain. The disease is unknown in countries which do not vaccinate against BVD (Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland)

Summary of the impact

BEAA research on high sugar grasses (HSG's) led to the breeding of HSG varieties that have had a significant impact on the contribution of grassland to livestock feeding across the UK. Their impact on the economy, commerce and the production of livestock products has been significant in the UK and increasingly in other countries. HSG varieties currently account for over 28% of the perennial ryegrass seed sales in the UK, with over 150,000 ha sown in the UK alone of these varieties since 2008, as their positive benefit on the economics of livestock production from grass and environmental benefit through reduced N pollution from livestock production is recognised.

Summary of the impact

BEAA's large-scale research designing and testing alternative grazing management systems for the uplands has achieved impact on the environment and economy. Environmental policy and its implementation via agri-environment schemes has been directly and indirectly influenced, with the evidence provided by the research vital to the development of grazing prescriptions and related payment structures by government agencies and conservation bodies. The results have also benefitted the upland farming community by identifying opportunities for improved productivity and hence economic viability; through e.g. more efficient use of pasture resources leading to higher growth rates for forage-based systems and reduced reliance on purchased feed and fertiliser.

Summary of the impact

The University of Bath has undertaken extensive research on the conduct of the tobacco industry (TI) and its influence over public policies.

This research has (a) significantly extended understanding of TI influence, by showing that the TI not only attempts to influence public health policies, but also enjoys significant influence over upstream policies; (b) provided some of the best documented examples of corporate influence over EU policy-making, raising concerns about transparency in policy-making; and (c) increased awareness that regulatory reforms known as Better Regulation may pose a threat to public health.

The key impact of this research, from 2008, is that it has reduced the ability of the TI to influence public health policy. This has been achieved by contributing to the development and implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the WHO's first global health treaty. These impacts involved work with beneficiaries including WHO and a variety of NGOs and by increasing awareness among policy makers of TI influence.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable mortality globally, accounting for almost 6 million deaths annually. The potential for health gain is therefore very significant. This research has had a substantial and demonstrable impact in securing this.

Summary of the impact

Oats are recognised as a healthy grain reducing the risk of coronary heart disease and as a valuable grain for livestock feed. Research within BEAA has provided the genetic, physiological and agronomic knowledge that underpins the breeding of high yielding husked and naked oat varieties that meets the needs of end-users in the human food and livestock sectors. BEAA bred oat varieties account for approximately 65% of the UK market and have a significant impact on health and welfare, the economy and on production and support the expanding instant oat breakfast market sector that alone is worth £160million per annum.

Summary of the impact

Impact: Policy, Animal Health and Welfare: Improved sow and piglet welfare and recommendations and codes of practice for farrowing and lactation systems that better meet sow and piglet needs.

Significance: Farrowing crates restrict sow movements interfering with natural sow behaviour and increasing psychological distress. Used predominantly to protect piglets, SRUC research demonstrated that piglet survival improved in loose-housed environments, undermining crate use.

Beneficiaries: Farmers, sows and piglets, the general public

Attribution: Drs Baxter and Jarvis, Professors Lawrence and Roehe (SRUC). Research collaboration was with Prof Sandra Edwards, University of Newcastle.

Reach: International legislative bans on farrowing crates; voluntary industry uptake of non-crate systems; EU recommendations/legislation on housing at farrowing, guidelines for keeping pigs (e.g. RSPCA Freedom Food).

Summary of the impact

Impact: Economic: The first fungicide-based control schemes minimising UK barley yield losses (saving approx. 516K tonnes / £95.1M per annum). A risk assessment method, which minimised pesticide usage.

Significance: Barley is the second most popular cereal crop grown in the UK — in 2012, 5.52 million tonnes of barley were grown (market value £1.02 billion). The research led to savings to the UK farming industry of ~£5.4 million per annum

Beneficiaries: Farmers, malting and brewing industries, UK tax revenue.

Attribution: Drs. Oxley, Havis, Hughes, Fountaine, and Burnett (SRUC) identified the pathogen and produced a field test for early identification of infestation.

Reach: Barley growing, malting and brewing sectors, seed and agrochemical industries UK-wide and in Ireland.