Farming Express. Page 3
Swansea University is forging closer links with universities in Texas in a
move it hopes will attract high-technology companies to south Wales.
A scholarship scheme will provide students with
the chance to study in the USA, while the link-up
will help with research.The Texas universities will
also have their European base in Swansea.Education
Minister Leighton Andrews said the transatlantic
partnership would bring benefits across Wales.
Swansea University said the link to renowned
institutions, including Rice University in Houston
and Texas A&M University in College Station,
was the start of a new era as an "outward-looking,
globally-orientated university".As well as forming
partnerships between students and academics, it
will also help industries in Wales and Texas to build
relationships.As part of the collaboration, there will
be a Swansea University office in Houston while
the Texas universities will establish their European
base on the new Swansea University Science and
Innovation Campus.
Collaborations already under way between the
institutions include:
Joint research between the Methodist Hospital
Research Institute in Houston and the Institute
of Life Sciences and Centre for NanoHealth at
Swansea.
Collaboration with and advice from Texas A&M
University on the development of a therapeutics
manufacturing facility.
Joint work with Texas A&M and Rice University in
developing a programme of research and training
relating to global water, energy and fuel crises and
their resolution.
'Life-enhancing opportunities'
Prof Richard B Davies, vice-chancellor of Swansea
University, said international links were "critical
in making Swansea the strong research intensive
university it is and creating the outstanding career
and life-enhancing opportunities enjoyed by our
students".
"This will further boost our already high reputation
for research excellence as we seek to fulfil our
ambition of becoming one of the world's top 100
universities by 2020," he added.
Rhodri Morgan, the Swansea University chancellor
and former Welsh first minister, said the scholarship
programme would honour a legend from the world
of space exploration who had roots in Wales.
The George Abbey Fund - named after the former
director of the NASA Johnson Space Centre who is
now an honorary fellow at Swansea - will support
students studying in subjects associated with
him, including science, engineering and the arts,
particularly celtic studies.
Mr Abbey, who is also a senior fellow in space
policy at Rice University, has strong family ties to
south west Wales.
His Welsh-speaking mother mother was from
Laugharne in Carmarthenshire and instilled in her
son a strong interest in his Welsh heritage.
Mr Abbey's son James Abbey is also international
strategic collaboration adviser at Swansea
University.
"George Abbey's links to Wales and his continued
affection for Laugharne, his mother's birthplace,"
Mr Morgan said as he launched the scholarship
programme in Texas.
"This scheme will allow his legacy to be honoured
by Swansea University."
A Swansea University spokeswoman said it would
be looking for sponsors to donate to the fund, so it
was as yet unclear how many students would benefit
from it.
Bovine TB 'ravaging' herds in West Berkshire
Bovine tuberculosis has been discovered
in cows grazing on common land in West
Berkshire amid fears the disease is "ravaging"
herds in the county.
The disease has been confirmed in three of
80 or so cattle on Greenham and Crookham
Commons.
As a result, movement of cattle on and off the
commons has been restricted. Commoners
with grazing rights have been informed.
Writing on his Westminster blog, DEFRA
environment minister Richard Benyon said:
"Bovine TB has reached West Berkshire. It is
ravaging herds in the Lambourn Valley and
now has hit Greenham Common.
"Bovine TB is costing this country dear.
Cost to the taxpayer is set to soon top £1bn.
Thousands of infected cattle are being
killed (28,000 last year). In addition, we are
seeing sick wildlife and increasing evidence
from organisations such as the Rural Stress
Network, of the stress is causing sick
farmers."
Mr Benyon, MP for Newbury, added that
he supported government plans for a badger
cull as part of DEFRA's TB eradication
programme.
"No country with TB endemic in its cattle
has successfully tackled this disease without
addressing the reservoir of the disease in
wildlife," he explained.
"We only need to look at Ireland, where they
are making significant progress in dealing
with the disease by restricting the movement
of cattle, alongside reducing the badger
population.
Mr Benyon accused some MPs who oppose
the pilot culls of using "pretty extreme
language".
"One MP said the government is being
"genocidal" towards badgers. Ridiculous. We
want healthy badgers and healthy cattle. The
culls will remove around 10% of the numbers
of badgers killed annually on our roads," he
said.
"No-one wants to kill badgers, least of all
me, but I fear that if we don't, bovine TB will
destroy stock farming and migrate into other
wildlife. This will change the face of our
countryside forever."
The government is putting a large amount
of funding into research into vaccines. An
effective and legal cattle vaccine is still at
least 10 years away, he added.
West Berkshire Council, which manages
the commons, is reassuring members of the
public who enjoy the commons for recreation,
that they can continue to do so.
"Public Health England has confirmed that
the risk of humans contracting bovine TB is
negligible, not least because it is actually a
different strain from the TB that can affect
humans," said a council spokesman.