IAFRI

IAFRI represents a new model for the way universities can work with commercial research organisations, operating under a private-public ownership approach to deliver both innovation and wealth creation in strategically important industrial sectors in the UK, while operating for the benefit of society.

IAFRI is based at Fera at the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus (Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire) and at the School of Agriculture, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Newcastle University and on its two research farms (Nafferton and Cockle Park) in Northumberland.

For more information on the IAFRI partnership, please get in touch.

Expert Research

IAFRI brings together renowned experts under the Directorship of Professor Rob Edwards, the Head of School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. The IAFRI mission is to conduct frontier research by bringing together the best multidisciplinary research talent in the social and natural sciences, as well as engineering and computer science.

Through IAFRI, this research is fast-tracked into innovation to drive new solutions, techniques, skills and best practice in the agri-food sector. This is well aligned to deliver national ambitions in innovation for the UK’s agri-food industries, as well as uniquely contributing to international food security research, for both immediate and longer-term applications.

As part of the long-term commitment to research excellence, IAFRI works to safeguard and grow the specialist skills base needed to sustain a vibrant agri-food sector in the UK through a learning and development programme. This is achieved through a combination of a targeted PhD training programme, postgraduate and CPD training.

Metaldehye Conference

The Metaldehye conference was a one day event held on Thursday 13^th September 2018 at Fera Science. It brought together researchers, regulators, farmers and industry to consider all aspects of metaldehyde use, environmental mobility and potential treatment and stewardship options.

The molluscicide metaldehyde is frequently detected in surface water at concentrations greater than predicted during the regulatory approval process, and it presents a challenge for water treatment.

The aim of the conference was to better understand these multi-faceted challenges and to discuss the science required to give better and safer slug control.

Keynote Speakers included Ian Boyd from Defra and John Haley from UKWIR.