Fera Science, formerly the Food and Environment Research Agency, is a UK research organisation. It is a joint private/public sector venture between
Capita plc and the UK Government (Defra).
History
The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) was formed in 2009 by merging the
Central Science Laboratory
The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) was an executive agency of the UK government branch, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It is now part of the Food and Environment Research Agency, which is in turn part of DEFR ...
(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
The UK Government Decontamination Service (sometimes written without the ''UK'' prefix or abbreviated to GDS) is an organisation within the UK Government that provides advice and guidance to help the UK resist and recover from any deliberate ...
at
MoD Stafford.
In 2015, Fera Science was created as an independent entity from the UK government as a joint venture between DEFRA and
Capita
Capita plc, commonly known as Capita, is an international business process outsourcing and professional services company headquartered in London.
It is the largest business process outsourcing and professional services company in the United ...
. The Plant Health Inspectorate, Plant Varieties and Seeds, the National Bee Unit and the GM Inspectorate were split off from Fera and became part of the
Animal and Plant Health Agency.
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
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
for sustainable
crop
A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropo ...
production,
environmental management
Environmental resource management is the management of the interaction and impact of human societies on the environment. It is not, as the phrase might suggest, the management of the environment itself. Environmental resources management aims ...
and
conservation and in
food safety
Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, food processing, preparation, and food storage, storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness, food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or ...
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.
Structure
It also houses FAPAS (international food analysis proficiency testing services) and the .
National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria
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See also
* National Bee Unit
References
External links
The Food and Environment Research Agency
official site
National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria
official site
FAPAS
official site
{{Defra (United Kingdom)
Executive agencies of the United Kingdom government
Science and technology in the United Kingdom
Agriculture in England
Organisations based in North Yorkshire
Government agencies established in 2009
Research institutes in North Yorkshire
Agricultural research institutes
2009 establishments in the United Kingdom
Scientific organizations established in 2009