Long-running breeding programme wins honour
0 Langhill lasses from the award-winning project which has benefitted the dairy industry Research into breeding the perfect dairy cow conducted in Scotland over the past 45 years has earned a major education award for the SRUC.
The world’s longest-running study on the subject based around the Langhill dairy herd – which was originally set up outside Edinburgh in the 1970’s but moved to Crichton farm near Dumfries in 2002 – has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.
The SRUC’S principal and chief executive, Professor Wayne Powell, yesterday hailed the honour as recognition of the college’s “unique contribution to scientific excellence, impact and innovation”.
Although the prize is awarded to the institution as a whole, the college said its submission focused on the work carried out in the field of dairy cattle genetics, with studies providing valuable data on issues including milk yields, fertility, welfare standards and dairy farming’s impact on climate change.
Powell said that the research had underpinned many of the international developments in dairy genetic improvement and dairy cow management since it had been set up. It had also helped encourage the adoption of new breeding goals for the industry which improved the health, welfare and economic performance of livestock in the UK and beyond.
He said that it was estimated that the work which is supported by the Scottish Government had benefited the British dairy industry to the tune of more than £400 million.
Part of the British honours system and awarded every two years, the Queen’s anniversary prize recognises and celebrates outstanding innovative work within UK higher and further education institutions along with its beneficial and practical effect.
Powell said the award reflected both the quality of research and the commitment of staff:
“One of SRUC’S core strengths is making scientific discoveries and translating them into meaningful improvements, not only for the rural communities of Scotland, but for the entire world.”