Kepak and Bangor University offer research degree in sustainable food production

Bangor University’s School of Natural Sciences has partnered with Kepak Merthyr to offer an MRes Scholarship to improve the sustainability of food production systems.

Working alongside Kepak, ‘Evaluating the potential for greenhouse gas reduction from a commercial beef supply chain’ will enable the student to make a tangible contribution in helping to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with beef production in Wales.

Dr Prysor Williams, project supervisor at Bangor University said the UK’s pledge to be net carbon neutral by 2050 has put the red meat sector under pressure to reduce its environmental impacts and has made ambitious commitments to reduce its emissions of GHGs.

“By utilising Kepak data and the outputs of ongoing projects at the School of Natural Sciences, this studentship will help identify a number of key measures including efficiency, mitigation, and changes to production systems,” he said.

Julie Finch, Agriculture Governance & Compliance Manager at Kepak said: “Environmental issues are extremely important to us at Kepak. We have already made significant changes to become a more sustainable business and welcome the insight that the MRes Scholarship will offer, enabling us to do even more to make a positive impact in the communities in which we operate.”

Kepak Merthyr recently announced the planting of 1,000 indigenous trees to enhance biodiversity and carbon sequestration, complementing the strong sustainability credentials of the site which already runs on all green energy sources, including fully renewable electricity.

An on-site wind turbine delivered 1,726,354kWh in wind electricity last year, providing enough energy to power a large estate of approximately 400 households for 12 months. Kepak is planning to install another wind turbine at its Merthyr site this year to further increase wind energy generated by the site.

Any graduate passionate about sustainable food production and who is interested in committing to a masters level research degree, then further details can be found at https://kess2.ac.uk/buk2e082/

Closing date for applications is 12th August 2022.

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