Tayside is making a leading contribution towards feeding the world through the amazing work into plant science being done at the James Hutton Institute.
The Institute’s scientists are at the forefront of the global fight to tackle issues like food shortages, climate change, crop disease and agricultural pests.
Given the international significance of the Institute’s expertise, it was tremendously exciting to be in Tayside on Thursday to witness work starting on two new plant innovation centres which will further advance this ground-breaking work.
I am delighted that the UK Government has invested £45 million in the new International Barley Hub (IBH) and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) through the Tay Cities Region Deal.
With the Scottish Government investing £17 million as part of the Tay Cities Deal this is another great example of the UK Government and devolved Scottish Government working together for the common good.
In total the UK Government has invested £1.5 billion in growth deals across Scotland working together with councils, the devolved administration, and a host of other partners.
Jobs and support for key local industries
As well as having an international impact, the centres will also bring huge benefits closer to home.
The two projects which aim to create 470 jobs across the Tayside region and a further 2,200 across Scotland and the UK as a whole.
Barley has long been a staple crop for humans and animals, but it has particular importance in Scotland as an essential ingredient for our world-famous distilling and brewing industries.
The IBH will seek to secure the long-term future of barley, guarding against supply shortages of this vital crop by developing new varieties and growing systems to protect from disease and the climate change threat.
Faster methods of breeding barley will also be pioneered which will reduce the length of time it takes to produce new varieties.
By doing so, the work will improve competitiveness for UK companies which rely on barley.
Plant growth centre will help feed the world
Meanwhile the APGC will develop plant varieties which can withstand the dramatic variation in climate across the world – work which has huge implications for meeting the challenge of food shortages.
Techniques like the vertical growth systems developed by the Institute will be refined.
Indoor vertical farming dramatically reduces food wastage by growing closer to markets, overcoming disease, and improving shelf life.
This is just a small sample of the type of science which will be carried out at the two centres when completed in early 2024 as they bring together world-leading research and industries.
Tayside’s £62m science project hailed as ‘transformational’ for future of food and farming
Iain Stewart is UK Government minister in the Scotland Office.