Work begins on Harper Adams University's £750,000 dairy unit

A groundbreaking ceremony has taken place at Harper Adams University in Edgmond.

The new site, which will operate alongside Harper Adams' existing dairy unit, will serve the Agricultural Engineering Precision Innovation (Agri-EPI) Centre.

The centre received £17.7 million investment under the Government's agri-tech strategy to help the UK's agri-food sector develop advanced technologies that will increase productivity and sustainability in UK agriculture.

The centre will have hubs in Edinburgh, at Harper Adams University and Cranfield University, but will also be served by a series of farms and processing facilities equipped with the latest sensing and imaging equipment – including the new precision dairy unit.

The new dairy will be one of three such units within Agri-EPI, with Kingshay Farming in Somerset and SRUC in Dumfries involved in establishing the others.

Mark Rutter, professor of applied animal behaviour at Harper Adams University, said: "The new dairy facilities within Agri-EPI will enable scientists, the dairy industry and agri-engineering companies to work together to develop the next generation of dairy housing and management. A key concept will be developing technology that facilitates cow choice, as research has shown that this can improve milk production efficiency as well as improving animal welfare."

The Agri-EPI Centre is a consortium of key organisations in the field of precision agriculture and engineering.

It brings together expertise in research and industry, as well as data gathering capacity in all areas of farming, to increase the efficiency and sustainability of the land-based industries.

The new building will cost nearly £520,000 to build, and the project total will rise to £750,000 with equipment.