Food and Environment Research Agency
Encyclopedia
The Food and Environment Research Agency, a new Defra executive agency was vested on 1 April 2009.
(CSL) at Sand Hutton, the Plant Health Division (PHD) / Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) in York, the Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division (PVS) in Cambridge and the UK Government Decontamination Service
at MoD Stafford
.
The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) was established to support and develop a sustainable food chain, a healthy natural environment, and to protect the global community from biological and chemical risks.
for sustainable crop
production, environmental management
and conservation
and in food safety
and quality. Fera has statutory responsibilities for delivering policy and inspectorate functions in relation to Plant Health, Bee Health and Plant Varieties and Seeds. Fera is part of the UK capability to respond to, and recover from, emergency situations, including accidental or deliberate
release of hazardous materials.
Fera also offers a complete package of services to help you protect against mites in commodities and premises. The services cover detection, monitoring and prevention of mites in the food and feed processing and storage, grain and other commodity storage, veterinary and retail sectors.
Fera's Bird Management Unit is recognised around the world as a leading provider of consultancy, research and training, specialising in two industry sectors of aviation (including bird strike services) and renewable energy.
Fera is also involved with the Badger Vaccination Project, providing training courses for lay vaccinators.
). A range of services are available to help growers, traders and the general public meet their obligations under the plant health rules.
Fera's Plant Clinic provides a market-leading service with over 80 years experience in pest and disease identification services for all horticultural and agricultural crops, garden plants and plant-based products.
Fera is also responsible for the Government's bee health policy in England and in particular, the implementation of the Healthy Bees Plan. Fera's National Bee Unit (NBU) delivers the bee health programme in England and in Wales (on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government
).
Fera covers a number of areas including Environmental risk assessments, Ecotoxicity testing of terrestrials and Chemical analysis.
Fera also provides In Silico Predictive Toxicology (INSPECT) - Chemical assessment by in silico methods (QSAR), with a team comprising Computational Chemists, Toxicologists, Ecotoxicologists, Environmental Scientists and Exposure Modellers.
History
The agency was formed by bringing together the Central Science LaboratoryCentral Science Laboratory
The Central Science Laboratory was an executive agency of the UK government department the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs . It specialises in the sciences underpinning agriculture for sustainable crop production, environmental management and conservation and in food safety and...
(CSL) at Sand Hutton, the Plant Health Division (PHD) / Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) in York, the Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division (PVS) in Cambridge and the UK Government Decontamination Service
UK Government Decontamination Service
The UK Government Decontamination Service is an organisation within the UK Government that provides advice and guidance to help the UK resist and recover from any deliberate or accidental release of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials or from major accidental releases of...
at MoD Stafford
MoD Stafford
MOD Stafford is a Ministry of Defence and ex Royal Air Force base situated in Stafford, in England.The following units are currently based at MOD Stafford:HQ 12 Signal Group & Stafford Station22nd Signal RegimentTactical Supply WingMOD Police...
.
The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) was established to support and develop a sustainable food chain, a healthy natural environment, and to protect the global community from biological and chemical risks.
Function
Fera specialises in the sciences underpinning agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
for sustainable crop
Crop (agriculture)
A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize , wheat, rice, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton. While the term "crop" most commonly refers to plants, it can also include...
production, environmental management
Environmental management
Environmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...
and conservation
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
and in food safety
Food safety
Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
and quality. Fera has statutory responsibilities for delivering policy and inspectorate functions in relation to Plant Health, Bee Health and Plant Varieties and Seeds. Fera is part of the UK capability to respond to, and recover from, emergency situations, including accidental or deliberate
release of hazardous materials.
Food and Drink
Fera's food and drink analytical testing services are supported by scientific expertise, detailed knowledge of both current and emerging regulations, and internationally recognised quality standards. Fera provides a full range of analytical tests addressing food contaminants that are restricted under EU food safety legislation. Fera specialises in testing for contaminants migrating from food packaging materials, testing, identifying and measuring the levels of mycotoxins, and contaminants resulting from food processing.Fera also offers a complete package of services to help you protect against mites in commodities and premises. The services cover detection, monitoring and prevention of mites in the food and feed processing and storage, grain and other commodity storage, veterinary and retail sectors.
Wildlife
Fera has the largest concentration of vertebrate ecologists in the UK.Fera's Bird Management Unit is recognised around the world as a leading provider of consultancy, research and training, specialising in two industry sectors of aviation (including bird strike services) and renewable energy.
Fera is also involved with the Badger Vaccination Project, providing training courses for lay vaccinators.
Plant Health
Fera is responsible, on behalf of Defra, for implementing the plant health Regulations in England, and in Wales (on behalf of the Welsh Assembly GovernmentWelsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
). A range of services are available to help growers, traders and the general public meet their obligations under the plant health rules.
Fera's Plant Clinic provides a market-leading service with over 80 years experience in pest and disease identification services for all horticultural and agricultural crops, garden plants and plant-based products.
Fera is also responsible for the Government's bee health policy in England and in particular, the implementation of the Healthy Bees Plan. Fera's National Bee Unit (NBU) delivers the bee health programme in England and in Wales (on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
).
Environment
Fera acts as a specialist service provider to companies in the agrochemical, pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals sectors.Fera covers a number of areas including Environmental risk assessments, Ecotoxicity testing of terrestrials and Chemical analysis.
Fera also provides In Silico Predictive Toxicology (INSPECT) - Chemical assessment by in silico methods (QSAR), with a team comprising Computational Chemists, Toxicologists, Ecotoxicologists, Environmental Scientists and Exposure Modellers.
Research and Science
Area's covered by Fera include:- Crop and food security
- Next generation sequencing (Pyrosequencing)
- Agri-environment and land use strategy
- Wildlife management
- Evidence and analysis
- Plant and pest disease
Structure
Fera is also home to:- FAPAS (international food analysis proficiency testing services): official site
- National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria: official site
- The National Bee Unit: official site
Useful links
- Food confidence
- Wildife Incident Unit
- Plant Breeders' Rights
- National Listing
- Seed Certification
- REACH services
- Bioinformatics
External links
- The Food and Environment Research Agency: official site