Moredun deal culmination of years of work

Published on Monday 23 June 2008 19:22

THE Scottish scientific community has a long history of being world leaders in many fields, not the least in agriculture and animal health. Many of the advances were initially made in basic science that subsequently translated into practical realities.

However, more than 20 years ago, the so-called Barnes Report, named after an individual long-since forgotten, decreed that in future the bulk of agricultural and veterinary research should be near-market orientated.

There were many warnings issued at the time stating that, while such a policy might save government money in the short term, the longer-term consequences would prove much more expensive. BSE remains the classic example.

However, there was some good news yesterday with the announcement in London that the UK government's Public Sector Research Exploitation (PSRE) agency has agreed to provide 4.17 million in a partnership deal led by the Edinburgh-based Moredun Research Institute to "turn innovative research ideas into commercial success".

Professor Willie Donachie, the deputy director of the Moredun, said: "We are delighted to have won this funding to bring together the world-class scientific expertise in agriculture and biosciences within the partner institutes, which will undoubtedly lead to some exciting new commercial opportunities. At Moredun, this will allow us to build on and expand our work to translate our scientific research into useful products to improve animal health and welfare."

Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, the director of the Moredun, speaking exclusively to The Scotsman, added: "Obviously this is really good news, but it is something we have been pushing for over long time. We have been successful in gaining similar grants in recent years, but this is a step up. There are huge problems in the farming and veterinary worlds, many of which relate to welfare. I take the very strong view that prevention is far, far better than any cure. We know what the big problems are, not the least of which is infertility in the dairy herd, but we can hopefully make some progress.

"I have always been in favour of the cost-sharing principle between commercial companies and scientific institutions, and we have been good at that in the past, but this new finance presents an opportunity to move on a stage further."

Ian Pearson, the minister for science and innovation with the UK government, said: "Top-quality research is carried out within the public sector to meet the needs of government departments in areas such as health, defence, environment, agriculture and food.

"It is vital that we maximise the economic impact of this research to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Public-sector research organisations are involved in innovative programmes that could lead to more effective tests for animal diseases."

The bottom line is that animal diseases are becoming increasingly internationalised: few would have guessed just five years ago that bluetongue might make the jump from southern Europe to the UK by last year.

The economic consequences of such rapid movements are colossal, but it would appear that Fitzpatrick's advice on the need for prevention has hit home.