The Food and Environment Research Agency Our role
Fera at a glance
Here are just a few facts and figures about The Food and Environment Research Agency: • We have over 40,000 government and commercial customers • We run over 600 research projects • We provide services to customers in over 100 countries • We analyse over 50,000 plant and food samples a year • We carry out over 150,000 plant and bee health inspection visits a year • We work with more than 1000 collaboration partners • We turnover in excess of £72 million a year • We employ over 500 scientists and 150 plant and bee inspectors • We are the National Reference Laboratory for chemicals in food, pesticides, veterinary drugs, dioxins and PCBs in feed • In a typical year our work leads to the publication of over 150 papers in peerreviewed journals listed in the Science Citation Index • We operate at over 40 sites throughout the UK including Cambridge, Stafford and Woodchester Park
The Food and Environment Research Agency Corporate Brochure
Introduction The Food and Environment Research Agency’s over arching purpose is to support and develop a sustainable food chain, a healthy natural environment, and to protect the global community from biological and chemical risks.
Our role is to provide robust evidence, rigorous analysis and professional advice to Government, international organisations and the private sector. Climate change, food security and environmental sustainability are presenting the UK and indeed all other countries around the world, with significant, complex and often interrelated challenges. The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) plays a vital role, increasingly on a world stage, in anticipating the issues, assessing the risks and gathering the evidence to guide policy response. To meet these challenges Fera brings together expertise in: • policy issues – particularly relating to seed, plant and bee health • inspection services necessary to ensure protection for seeds, crops and horticulture • multi disciplinary science to rapidly diagnose threats, evaluate risk and inform policy in food and environmental areas • responding to and recovering from unforeseen or emergency situations Fera has over 40,000 customers and 1000 collaboration partners spread over some 102 countries. This stakeholder base is made up from Government, academia, industry and commerce and, whilst a significant proportion of Fera’s work is UK based, it has global reach across the EU, wider Europe, and five of the other six continents – the exception being Antarctica.
Climate change, food security and environmental sustainability present significant global challenges
INTRODUCTION
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Fera’s areas of responsibility For an organisation of its type, The Food and Environment Research Agency has a broad and unique range of scientific disciplines and for the first time, fully integrates science with policy, regulation and inspection functions.
Fera has three distinct areas of responsibility: REGULATION, POLICY AND RISK Fera carries statutory responsibilities for delivering policy and inspectorate functions in relation to Plant Health, Bee Health and Plant Varieties and Seeds. We also support policy development across government working closely with the lead authorities and agencies in those policy areas. RESEARCH AND ASSURANCE Fera is required by its public and private sector stakeholders to provide robust scientific evidence and thorough analysis to support them in both the strategic and day to day decisions they face. RESPONSE AND RECOVERY Fera is an essential element of the nation’s capability to respond to, and recover from, emergency situations. We have a specific remit to provide advice, guidance and support to those responsible for dealing with the consequences of an accidental or deliberate release of hazardous materials (HazMats) or Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) materials.
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FERA’S AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
The Food and Environment Research Agency Corporate Brochure
Fera’s capabilities The Food and Environment Research Agency has 6 core capabilities it draws upon to deliver its areas of responsibility. Expert Identification, Measurement and Modelling From classical taxonomy and field ornithology through molecular methods to complex low level residue analysis, Fera’s science teams utilise traditional and leading edge techniques to identify pests and diseases, detect contaminants and model outbreak impacts. Risk Assessment, Mitigation and Contingency Response
HORIZON SCANNING, POLICY AND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
We are at the forefront internationally in development and utilisation of risk assessment methodologies in food safety, environmental fate and behaviour of chemicals, plant health, bee health and wildlife management.
Our horizon scanning, forecasting and strategic analysis skills contribute to national and international policy development in the key areas of global challenge and concern.
Better Regulation, Inspection, Auditing and Advice
Research and Innovation With many internationally recognised experts Fera is already an established leader in strategic and applied research in the areas of plants, wildlife, environment and food.
Through being close to Government and working with commercial clients, Fera provides regulation that is recognised as being effective, proportionate and supported by best current advice. Development and Management Of Globally Important Capabilities, Facilities, Collections and Data Sets As a recognised leader in food and environment research, regulation and response, our capabilities, resources and processes extend beyond our own activities and enable us to provide a global advisory capacity to others.
FERA’S CAPABILITIES
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Fera’s science programmes The Food and Environment Research Agency organises its science teams broadly around the thematic science areas required by its client base. This means that a high levels of specialism can be maintained but through a matrix structure, expertise can be brought together to deliver complex projects. Fera’s science programmes and the expertise they contain are outlined here. POLICY The policy programme ensures Fera is able to help drive the policy cycle for Government. It maintains, develops and deploys our capability in risk management, risk communication, consultation, negotiation, impact assessment and regulation. Working across Fera it ensures research is timely and focused in the support of Government policy needs. In addition the programme develops policy, and oversees its implementation, in areas where Defra has delegated responsibility to Fera, specifically in plant health, bee health, plant varieties and seed certification.
EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS Those responsible for setting policy need to be sure the right kind of evidence is gathered, analysed and communicated effectively. This is true whether that policy is designed to protect human health from contaminants in the food chain, mitigate risks of environmental contamination or to develop sustainable land use. The evidence and analysis programme houses analytical expertise in risk assessment and probabilistic modelling, experimental design, statistics and informatics, international plant health consultancy and pest risk assessment. It is also home to Defra’s GM Inspectorate and includes teams expert in sustainable land use, agri-environment schemes, non-food crops and pesticide usage surveys. INSPECTORATES The inspectorates work in partnership with the users of their services to make them aware of government policies and wherever possible to advise on how to avoid risks from pests and diseases or how to deal with issues relating to quarantine or enforcement notices. Fera’s inspectorates cover bee health inspection, plant health inspection and certification of plant materials for import or export and meeting trial licence requirements or import restriction on genetically modified organisms.
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FERA’S SCIENCE PROGRAMMES
The Food and Environment Research Agency Corporate Brochure
SCIENCE STRATEGY, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION This programme leads Fera’s horizon scanning activity, working with key stakeholders across Government, academia and other research institutes in the UK and overseas. In doing so it plays a vital role in ensuring Fera has the scientific experience to meet future stakeholder needs, helping them in anticipating problems and setting future agendas. Fera’s Science Networks are the hub through which different scientific disciplines are brought together to share knowledge and develop ideas. The science strategy programme works across all Fera’s science teams and networks championing the capture, development and exploitation of the organisation’s innovation and any resulting intellectual property.
PEST AND DISEASE IDENTIFICATION The programme is focused on the sciences relating to plant pest and disease identification and control. Our research work supports both the development of plant health policy and Fera’s Plant Health and Seeds Inspectors. Vital to both is the drive to develop faster and more accurate frontline in-the-field diagnosis techniques. Scientists working in this area include bacteriologists, entomologists, mycologists, nematologists, molecular biologists and virologists. Fera’s Plant Clinic is an integral element of this programme, providing pest and disease diagnostic services to farmers, growers and horticulturalists. CROP AND FOOD SECURITY The work of the programme focuses on finding new and sustainable ways to protect growing crops, stored food and the environment from pests and diseases. Using a multidisciplinary approach, from molecular biology through to field-based surveillance, our main research themes include the development of novel diagnostic and bio-analytical methods, pest and disease management, bee health and innovative pest control strategies.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RISK Much of the work in the programme centers on the effects of chemicals in the environment. This can range from the effect of pesticides on target and nontarget vertebrate and non-vertebrate species, through to the fate and behaviour of pharmaceutically active compounds and nanomaterials, when they get into the natural environment. Teams working within the programme also contributes to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) on behalf of the Chemicals Regulation Directorate providing chemical analysis in suspected cases of wildlife poisonings due to pesticides. WIIS also includes pet animals, beneficial insects and incidents where illegal use of pesticides is suspected.
CHEMICAL RESIDUES This programme provides scientific analysis, testing, research and development to help responsible authorities across government ensure foodstuffs remain free from pesticide and veterinary drug residues. Key to its success is the ability to develop faster or more sensitive detection techniques. Our services also support commercial customers in meeting their obligation to provide due diligence testing of their products in relation to pesticides and veterinary drug residues. CONTAMINANTS AND AUTHENTICITY There are many potential contaminants that can find their way into the food chain in addition to those relating to known interventions such as the use of pesticides and veterinary drugs. This programme is focused on identifying other sources of contamination including organic environmental contaminants, food processing contaminants and natural toxicants. In some cases the work may involve detecting and identifying unknown substances or profiling complex mixtures, both of which can be important in authenticating a substance or origin claim in foodstuffs.
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FERA’S SCIENCE PROGRAMMES
The Food and Environment Research Agency Corporate Brochure
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT The programme works with Government providing research to inform the ongoing development of wildlife management and animal welfare strategies. It also plays a role researching and modelling the population dynamics, risks and conflicts that occur between large-scale wildlife populations and conservation. We are also involved in identifying and reducing the conflict between birds and man in relation to aviation safety and renewable energy site planning applications. WILDLIFE AND EMERGING DISEASES The programme provides research, advisory and operational services in relation to diseases of wildlife, livestock and zoonotic infections of humans. We contribute to disease control by developing effective wildlife management options and by helping implement these. By integrating the skills of veterinarians, ecologists, mathematical biologists and wildlife management specialists from game keeping and farming backgrounds, the programme has a unique breadth of understanding and the ability to deliver practical solutions to disease problems.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY Preparation is at the centre of being able to respond to, and recover from, a deliberate or accidental Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear contamination incident. The programme is part of a national capability that exists to provide the necessary testing to define the problem and to quickly find the recovery resources that need to be mobilised in response. This enables the UK environment and public life to be brought back to normal as soon as possible. FERA INTERNATIONAL Our international development team works with a wide range of clients, providing consultancy, delivering study work and undertaking research and development projects. This could involve anything from quality systems in a local laboratory, to disease risk analysis for staple food crops – notably in developing nations. Fera also operates international laboratory proficiency testing schemes focusing on chemical and microbiological analysis of food and environmental samples. One such scheme – FAPAS – is the largest proficiency scheme in the world with more than 3000 laboratories in around 100 countries taking part.
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Quality and sustainability As an organisation working with such a high profile customer base, our attention to quality has to be first class. From our research processes, to the way the organisation is managed, we operate within well-defined quality systems that meet all the key international quality standards. Many of our scientific methods are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), we comply fully with the Government’s Joint Code of Practice for Research, and the organisation is certified to ISO9001. We place great emphasis on maintaining a highly trained and motivated workforce, something which is recognised by our Investors In People accreditation. Taking an active role in the community and minimising our environmental footprint are important elements to everyday business life for Fera. Recognition of our success in improving the sustainability of our operation – everything from energy usage and waste minimisation to staff welfare policies – includes accreditation to ISO14001. Fera runs an independently administered in-depth customer satisfaction survey, the results of which feature in our annual report. Feedback is used to drive up standards further where necessary, achieving a steady year-on-year improvement in the overall ratings.
Four wild orchid species thrive under the sustainable development action plan in use across Fera’s Sand Hutton site
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QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Who we work with
PUBLIC SECTOR
PRIVATE SECTOR
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Customers across a range of sectors, including:
Department for Energy and Climate Change
• Agriculture
Welsh Assembly Government
• Horticulture
Scottish Executive
• Agrichemical
Northern Ireland Office
• Pharmaceutical
Local Government Authorities
• Food and drink
Chemicals Regulation Directorate
• Retail
Veterinary Medicine Directorate Food Standards Agency Environment Agency Countryside Agencies Research Councils Other Government Departments European Commission Industry Levy Boards Overseas Governments
Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UK B0025/0709
Tel +44 (0)1904 462 000 Fax +44 (0)1904 462 111
E-mail info@fera.gsi.gov.uk www.defra.gov.uk/fera Fera is an Executive Agency of Defra