Work on £5.3 million livestock research facilities begins – University of Reading
13 January 2005
Construction work is now underway to upgrade The University of Reading's dairying and animal science research facilities. The £5.3 million investment will consolidate the reputation of the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development (APD) as a world leader in agricultural research and teaching. The work, due to finish in 2006, will transform the Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR) facilities in and around Reading. "These improvements will not only extend and enhance our research facilities for dairy cows, calves, beef cattle and sheep," said Professor Richard Ellis, Head of APD. "We will also be broadening our research interests into other species such as pigs, poultry and turkeys in order to carry out EU- and Defra-funded research on food and human health. "Hence, the new and improved facilities at CEDAR will widen the range of our research, enabling The University of Reading to maintain and increase its support to a competitive farming industry and maintain agricultural higher education." The CEDAR facilities will be based on state-of-the-art dairying equipment for 600 cows; a 50-point rotary parlour with full automatic data capture for applied research with dairy cows. "There will be modern, environmentally-sound silage and slurry stores, upgraded metabolism facilities for nutrition studies, upgraded research facilities for calves, beef cattle and sheep, and new research facilities for pigs, poultry and turkeys," said Professor Ellis. In order to continue current research, the CEDAR redevelopment is being phased over two years. Phase One is now underway which comprises environmental improvements. Later phases will see work to enhance research facilities and enable an increase in herd size. End For media enquiries and pictures of the development in progress, please contact Craig Hillsley, the University's press officer. Tel: 0118 378 7388 Email: c.hillsley@rdg.ac.uk