The UK’s new £70 million livestock research hub has been backed by Tesco, which has become the first retail member to join the Centre of Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL).
“In order to make British agriculture more competitive we need a culture of continuous improvement across the whole supply chain,” said Tesco’s category director for meat, fish, poultry and eggs, Claire Lorains.
“CIEL is a fantastic platform to propel innovation in the UK livestock industry, which is key to the success of providing the best possible quality and sustainable food for customers.”
The supermarket’s support for CIEL was welcomed by the centre’s interim board chairman, Nick Major, who said it was an “enormous honour” to have such a well-known and respected company as a member.
“Our aim is to increase the economic performance of UK farming to benefit farmers, retailers and consumers alike,” he added. “Support from companies such as Tesco will help keep the UK at the forefront of sustainable food production.”
Opened in February this year, CIEL’s founder members include Agrisearch, BSAS, BSAS Industry Association, Cranswick Country Food, Devenish Nutrition, Dunbia, ForFarmers UK, Origin Group Holdco, RAFT Solutions and XLVets UK.