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Bill Gates tours Easter Bush Campus
Bill Gates tours Easter Bush Campus
Bill Gates pictured at Easter Bush with Professor Jonathan Seckl, vice-principal, Edinburgh University.

Businessman visits campus at University of Edinburgh as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Microsoft-founder Bill Gates recently visited the Easter Bush Campus at the University of Edinburgh to hear about research to improve the health and welfare of people and farm animals worldwide.

Bill Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which supports initiatives in education, world health, population and community giving. The organisation has a strategic focus on agriculture development and research to improve farming productivity in a sustainable way.

The businessman was met by vice-principal, Professor Jonathan Seckl, and was given a tour of the Roslin Institute - a research centre which seeks to tackle some of the most pressing issues in animal health and welfare. He then visited the beef research facility based at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), before touring the National Avian Research Facility, where scientists are developing technologies that are helping to breed chickens that are less susceptible to diseases -  particularly those affecting developing countries.

Professor Geoff Simm, vice-principal of research at SRUC said:  “We were delighted to welcome Mr Gates and his colleagues so that we could demonstrate the quality of research taking place at SRUC and the University. Mr Gates was particularly interested in how new technologies provide a step-change in collecting data to enhance livestock performance.”

Professor Jonathan Seckl, vice-principal planning, resources and research policy, said: “It has been a great pleasure to welcome Bill Gates to the Easter Bush Campus and showcase our work as world leaders in the field of animal bioscience.”

The Easter Bush Campus houses the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Located just eight miles south of the city centre, the Campus has the largest concentration of livestock science-related expertise in Europe. It is currently in the process of a major development programme that aims to create one of the world most powerful livestock research campuses. 
 

Image courtesy of The Roslin Institute

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise £100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.