UWB Crest

Centre for Alternative Land Use

 

CALU NEWS - January 2007

 

GM HENS TO LAY EGGS FOR HUMAN DRUGS
 Edinburgh's Roslin institute have managed to incorporate human DNA into genes of laying hens. The hens then lay eggs with human protein in their whites. Apparently it is then relatively easy to separate these human proteins for use in drugs for illnesses such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

 


 

 

Food vs Fuel?
As the increase in and demand for bioenergy grows, so do concerns over future demands on land use. We are interested to hear your views. Do you think that "market forces" are the best mechanism to determine whether land is used for food or fuel production? What if there are subsides and incentives for bioenergy producers, but not food producers? Do you think there is enough high quality land to meet the needs for both local food and economically viable yields of energy crops?

 

Opportunities for food horticulture in North Wales
Mark Taylor, Managing Director of Agrimarc, recently addressed a meeting of over 60 growers at Coleg Glynllifon, Caernarfon. Agrimarc have opportunites for local growers to grow field scale vegetables to supply 19 Welsh Asda stores. The group are keen to promote locally grown seasonal produce. Mr Taylor suggested a variety of contract structures that could be used with potential growers. Those attending the meeting were given plenty to think about and will be looking to meet Mr Taylor again within the next two to three weeks.

 

NEW TECHNICAL LEAFLETS
New additions to the CALU library of free technical leaflets this month include:
In the area of bioenergy there are three new leaflets:
Economics of Miscanthus and SRC production
Biomass as a fuel
Anaerobic Digestion
In the livestock section we have three new leaflets:
Parasite Control in Goats
Worm Farming
Pigs in Woodland Management
Continuing on the woodland theme there are two new additions:
Shelterbelt Information Sheet
Farm Woodlands and SPS

EVENTS
Robinwood conference The third Robinwood International Forestry Conference is being held at Llandudno 14th - 16th February 2001. Click here for further information.

European Bioenergy Conference Environmental Finance is holding a conference on all aspects of bioenergy on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th February. The event takes place in London. Speakers include Sir Ben Gill (Biomass Task Force) and Alastair Dickie (HGCA). Click here for further details.

International Composting Conference In Dublin on 19th and 20th February 2007, there will be a conference looking at "the sustainable use of biomass: in soil or an energy source". Click here for booking form and programme.

 

 

 

 

Contact us:

If you have a news item you would like to see featured on CALU's News page, please contact us:

e-mail: calu@bangor.ac.uk

 

And in the horticultural section we have: Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
Blight Resistant Potatoes - a study of yield and maturity
On - Farm Composting

If there is a topic you would like to see a technical leaflet written on, let us know!

IN BRIEF
CALU has just published its Annual Report for 2006. Click here to download (pdf, 2083KB)

The EU has put forward proposals which would mean that every EU member country would have to source 10% of its transport fuel from renewable sources by 2020.

 

CALU exists to transfer technology to any business in Wales that is interested in horticulture, biomass, alternative crops, alternative livestock and/or farm woodlands.

CALU is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government