News
Royal honour for SRUC Head of Research
A lifelong devotion to animal genetics, which included meeting the world’s most famous sheep, has led to an honorary OBE for SRUC’s Head of Research.
Eileen Wall, Professor of Integrative Livestock Genetics at SRUC, has been honoured for services to Agricultural Science, her scientific contribution to livestock improvement and her leadership of research and innovation at national and international level.
Dyneval turns microscale motion into actionable insights
Midlothian Science Zone Business Forum took place on Tuesday 3rd February 2026 at Bush House, on Pioneer – Edinburgh Technopole, for the launch of the Lumero S1, a ground-breaking particle size analyser from Dyneval Ltd.
Farmland birds in Scotland decline over past decade, report shows
A new report on Scotland’s breeding birds shows that all farmland species have decreased over the past ten years.
The NatureScot report highlights that while woodland and pastoral bird numbers remain higher than 1994 levels, arable and wet farmland bird populations are now lower than a decade ago.
Source: STV News
AbacusBio Deepen Strategic Partnership with Bayer to Pioneer the Future of Predictive Plant Breeding
AbacusBio is proud to announce the extension of their multi-year collaboration with Bayer to 2030, marking a significant leap forward in predictive plant breeding and agricultural innovation. Building on the momentum of their successful partnership, which began in 2020, the two companies are expanding and evolving their joint efforts to deliver transformative solutions for growers, markets, and consumers worldwide.
Biotech firm raises £4.5M for North American expansion
Rhizocore Technologies, a biotechnology company which uses fungi to improve tree growth and survival rates, has secured £4.5 million in investment to scale its innovative approach to forestry and woodland restoration. This investment comes after surging demand for Rhizocore’s fungal tree health pellets.
Virtual dairy farm aims to transform industry
Researchers in the south of Scotland have unveiled virtual farm technology they hope could help transform the dairy industry.
Farm-twin is free to download code which allows the creation of a model of an entire farm system - from individual animals to infrastructure - using real-time data sensors.
Source: BBC News
New boss lined up for UK's farming and aquaculture innovation centre
Farming and aquaculture innovation body the UK Agri-Tech Centre has announced that Marks and Spencer’s head of agriculture and fisheries sourcing, Steve McLean, is to become its new chief executive.
UK Agri-Tech works alongside food producers, SMEs, industry, government and world-class research institutions to accelerate impactful agri-tech innovation, including innovation in aquaculture.
Falling demand signals shift in Scotland’s rural land market
Scotland’s rural land market is showing signs of cooling, with falling demand in key sectors such as commercial forestry and natural capital investment.
New analysis from the Scottish Land Commission and Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) reveals how economic and political uncertainty have reshaped rural land market activity over the past year.
Source: Business Insider
Artificial intelligence supports pig welfare
A combination of tracking technology and social mapping that reveals how pigs build relationships over time could inform welfare strategies. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been combined with techniques to map animals’ interactions, to gain insights into pigs’ social relationships. Scientists at the Roslin Institute, in collaboration with industrial partners PIC and an international research team, examined how pigs associated with one another over time by using technology to analyse their proximity during social interactions.
Farmers call for gene editing to be allowed in Scotland's crops
Farmers have called for gene editing to be allowed for Scotland’s crops as legislation in England moves a step closer.
With an ever changing climate, some are arguing that editing the genes of crops could be a way to mitigate against extreme weather and help bolster food security in a changing climate.
Source: STV