Senior officials within the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) are optimistic that they could be in line for a major injection of capital to allow a significant upgrade to livestock facilities at the Hillsborough site.

The local research facility has positioned itself as a major player in a UK-wide initiative taken forward by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which has bid to the UK government Agri-tech Strategy for a Centre of Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL). The Agri-tech Strategy was launched in 2013, and aims to boost technology in farming. It had an initial budget allocation of £160m.

Research

The new CIEL has brought together industry partners, research organisations and levy bodies, with the aim to coordinate research and development across the UK.

Speaking during a meeting of the agriculture committee at Stormont this week, Dr Sinclair Mayne from AFBI said that he was confident that the bid for funding will be approved.

Mayne described AFBI as a “major player” in the initiative and he said that his vision was that AFBI will become the “go-to centre for research into grass-based livestock production in the UK”.

While the final go-ahead is yet to be received, it is understood that the bid includes major capital investment in dairy research facilities at AFBI Hillsborough to incorporate a robotic parlour installation, robotic fencing and automated sward assessment technology.

Within the beef unit, there are plans for a new facility to measure individual intakes in beef cattle and in pigs, the bid includes a new facility for 300 sows.

AFBI is also confident that it will be the NI hub for AgriMetrics, a UK-wide initiative to analyse industry data, which has also received funding from the Agri-Tech Strategy.

Pressures

However, despite the good news on potential new sources of capital funding, AFBI is still facing significant pressures as a result of DARD cuts to its resource budget.

A net £4m reduction in AFBI’s baseline budget for 2014/15 is equivalent to an 11.5% cut, and there is the possibility of further cuts of 5% to 10% next year.

A total of 133 staff (plus 10 undecided) have accepted the terms of the civil service-wide voluntary exit scheme, but, despite this, AFBI must find a further £1.2m in savings between now and the end of the financial year, to stay within budget.

“There is nothing easy in the future. If we shrink any more, it will have major consequences,” acknowledged AFBI chief executive, Professor Seamus Kennedy.

With the organisation concentrating on major work areas, such as livestock research, Kennedy was asked about research in smaller sectors and plans to close AFBI Crossnacreevy, which would bring an end to arable research and the publishing of recommended lists.

He said that AFBI is in discussion with Teagasc about the provision of apple and mushroom research at AFBI Loughgall, and about the possibility of Teagasc arable research being made available to local growers via CAFRE. There is also the potential for on-farm plots to test grass varieties and publish recommended lists.

With the current headquarters at Newforge Lane in Belfast underutilised and costly to maintain, there are plans to move the headquarters to AFBI Hillsborough. This could also be the home for a new centre for grass and plant science, although the preferred option is to take all grass and plant related research to AFBI Loughgall.

NI dairy industry now at a crossroads

Given the current pressure on dairy farmer margins, senior officials from AFBI were asked by MLAs about what they can do to help the industry.

In response, Dr Sinclair Mayne told MLAs that there was a need for the industry to re-focus on grass, given that it is our main competitive advantage.

He said that there had been lengthy discussions in recent months between AFBI and CAFRE about how to “re-invigorate the milk from grass philosophy” and that there was now the need for broader engagement with industry.

The aim, he said, was to design systems better able to cope with volatile prices – systems that are more flexible in terms of grazing, and which can rely on high-quality silage when they need to.

“Farmers need to avoid getting caught into really high-cost, year-round housing systems, because NI will not compete in that sort of system,” said Mayne.

On breeding, he said that there has been too much emphasis in recent years on milk output at the expense of fertility and disease susceptibility. “We need a much more robust cow. We need animals that can cope with a range of feeding systems. We are working with CAFRE on what is the ideal animal and the ideal system for the future,” he said.

Northern diary

Thurs 8 October

  • Lely robotic milking open day at Gareth McAdam, 39 Clonmakate Road, Birches, 11am to 3pm. Details Jim, TN 07827 884639.
  • NI Beef Shorthorn Club open meeting. All welcome.Ballinderry Inn, 8pm.

    • Fri and Sat, 9 and 10 October

  • NI ploughing championships at Balmoral Park, Maze.

    • Fri 9 October

  • Health check van, Kilrea mart, 10am to 3pm.
  • Dispersal sale, Carnlea Friesians, 24 head for R & J Park, 20 Ayrshire and Holstein bulling heifers for John Hunter, Ballymena mart, 11am.
  • West of Ireland springing heifers, 75 head for Jas Morrison and Shauna McKenna, Draperstown mart, 7.30pm.

    • Sat 10 October

  • NI Bluefaced Leicester, pedigree ram sale, 300 head, show 10am, sale 11am, Armoy mart. Details Diane TN 07462 739 069.
  • Health check van, Lisahally mart, 10.30am to 2.30pm.
  • Jalex herd sale, 30 springing heifers for Nelson and James Alexander, Ballymena mart, 11am.

    • Mon 12 October

  • Texel sheep harvest sale, show 6pm, sale 7pm, Ballymena mart. Details secretary TN 07791 679112.
  • Antrim Suffolk sheep breeders show and sale, Ballymena mart, 7pm.
  • Charollais ram sale, Gortin mart, 7pm.

    • Wed 14 October

  • Reduction sale 20 suckler cows with Charolais calves at foot for James Mitchell Lisahally mart, 11am.
  • Dorset sheep, 17 rams, 106 females, show and sale, Ballymena mart, 11am.
  • Charollais sheep, show and sale, Armoy mart.

    • Fri 16 October

  • Ram fair, Armoy mart, 6.30pm.
  • Health check van, Downpatrick mart, 7pm to 10.30pm.

    • Sat 17 October

  • Discover CAFRE courses, Enniskillen campus, 12pm.
  • Suckler heifers’ sale, 100 head for Brendan Bailey, Armoy mart, 12pm.
  • Charollais sheep, show and sale, Omagh mart.