UK Environment Secretary visits Harper Adams
Dr David Llewellyn, Vice-Chancellor, hosted the visit, which began with a tour of the University campus and recent developments that are making a significant impact on the University’s research programmes and on its facilities for teaching.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: “Institutions like Harper Adams University play a vital role in helping the UK farming sector take advantage of the latest technology, as well as developing the farmers of the future. It was a great pleasure to meet some of their exceptional students today who will be at the forefront of our world leading food and farming industry in years to come.
“Ensuring our vital food and farming industry has the talent and resources needed to grow more, sell more, and export more of our Great British food is one of my key priorities.”
“As we prepare to leave the EU, we will be designing a food and farming system tailored to our own needs. I want to give everyone the opportunity to have their say to ensure we build policies that help this vital industry thrive and I look forward to working with stakeholders from across this industry, as well as the Devolved Administrations, to hear their views and work together to build a bright and prosperous future for our farmers.”
University Vice-Chancellor Dr David Llewellyn said: "We are delighted that the Secretary of State was able to visit the University today. We are working hard to supply industry with talented new entrants, and to conduct research which will impact directly upon food production, so it was good for our contributions to the future of UK farming and food to be acknowledged in this way.”
“The Secretary of State has much to consider as we face a challenging period in creating a new framework for the agri-food sector in the coming years, so it was particularly pleasing to see the views of the next generation being taken into account during her visit.”
The first stop on the tour was the Jean Jackson Entomology Laboratory, where Lecturer, Tom Pope, explained his group’s work on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems, which has a particular emphasis on biological control, bio-pesticides, chemical ecology and insect behaviour.
Tom employs tiny electronic radio frequency tags to track crop pests, and the Secretary of State was shown how the development of ‘precision entomology’ could allow us to better understand pest behaviour, even below ground, to better target natural eradication measures
It was then on to the Agricultural Engineering Innovation Centre where Professor Simon Blackmore and Lecturer, Kit Franklin, explained some of the University’s latest work on agri-technologies. This included the Hands Free Hectare initiative to grow a crop of barley without a human setting foot in the field. As a world-first, this project has attracted interest from across the UK, within Europe and as far afield as China and Canada.
Mrs Leadsom highlighted, in particular, her desire to persuade a new generation to embark upon careers in agriculture, to secure the future of farming in Britain and to help the industry meet future challenges.
Source: Harper Adams University