BBSRC’s Animal Health Research Club (ARC) has announced over £6M of funding for research to improve the health of livestock.

Eight studies will take place at institutions around England and Scotland in farmed fish, poultry, sheep, pigs and cattle to understand and combat pervasive and costly diseases in these species which cost UK farmers millions of pounds a year.

£5.8M has come from BBSRC with just over £800,000 from the Scottish Government

This round of grants concludes the funding from the five-year ARC, a consortium between BBSRC, the Scottish Government and leading companies from the animal breeding, animal health and farming sectors.

Dr Celia Caulcott, BBSRC Executive Director, Innovation and Skills, said, "By targeting these livestock diseases the Animal Health Research Club projects have the potential to protect farmed animals and food supplies and save UK farmers and the wider economy millions of pounds a year.

“The Club shows that the public sector and private industry can work together to fund and support excellent research tackling important research challenges.”

Scottish Government Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said, “Scotland is the home to world-leading scientific research into livestock health and diseases. The impact of diseases can be crippling to the livestock sector, and costs industry millions of pounds every year. It is particularly important that research is carried out that has direct relevance to and the involvement of industry, and the Scottish Government are happy to have funded such research through supporting the Animal Health Research Club.”

The ARC Industry members pay a subscription fee which allows them to be involved in remit formation and grant decision making.

In total £10.8M of ARC grant funding has been allocated to 15 research projects, from this round and an initial round of grants awarded in 2013.

This announcement follows the launch of government's agri-tech strategy, developed in partnership with industry to ensure that the UK can benefit from agriculture's opportunities:www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-agricultural-technologies-strategy.