The majority of research in this UoA is officially classified as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
The following academic units formed the submission to UoA 6:
Newcastle research into improving commercial soil-based greenhouse productivity has led to an increase in profitability (due to higher yields and lower costs) and a significant reduction in the negative environmental impacts of commercial, organic and other soil-based greenhouse crop production systems in Europe (UK, Greece and Crete).
Newcastle's research has led to improved profits to UK organic tomato farmers estimated to be up to £100,000/ha/year and has allowed large scale organic glasshouse production to be a viable option to meet the demands of the UK organic market. In Greece increased profits are estimated at €25,000 per ha/year and in Crete the estimated value of reduced soil disease control and pest management is €110,000 per ha/year.
Newcastle University research has changed policy and practice relating to the provision of pain relief to rodents and rabbits. This has impacted on up to 35 million animals worldwide during the REF period. Having established the under-use of analgesics in laboratory rodents, Newcastle researchers developed objective pain scoring systems. These established that analgesics should be administered to rodents and rabbits, and that the efficacy of this treatment should be assessed objectively. The research resulted in changes to policy statements, institutional policies (both academic and industrial) and individual research worker practices in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and the UK.
This has produced clear benefits to the welfare of animals used in biomedical research, helps to satisfy public concerns that animals used in research should experience the minimum pain and distress, and improves scientific outcomes of research, since pain is an uncontrolled experimental variable, that can adversely affect study results.
Increased post-war UK agricultural production has converted most species-rich upland hay meadows to species-poor rye-grass grassland, so that today only 1070 ha (hectares) undisturbed hay meadow remains. The way in which these upland hay meadows are managed and restored to conserve botanical diversity has been largely determined by research carried out at Newcastle University.
This research has been used by Natural England (an executive non-departmental public body responsible for England’s natural environment) to produce targeted management prescriptions for 2500 ha of farmland in northern England, and has informed National Park and AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) management on best practice for successful restoration of hay meadows. The research has ensured the successful restoration of more than half of the remaining upland hay meadows in England.
The UK's decision to introduce voluntary modulation led directly from research conducted at Newcastle University (between 1993 and 2008) which demonstrated conclusively that broadening the scope of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies beyond supporting agricultural production through ‘modulation’ would greatly benefit the environment and rural economies.
The success of modulation in the UK then led to compulsory modulation being introduced throughout the European Union (EU). Up to 2013 modulation has generated outstanding impacts by providing more than €10b of new funding for environmental management and rural development across the EU.
