A Growing Global Reputation

Leading a Revolution in Farming

In the aftermath of World War Two, the objective of the Institute was to address the food security issue that the conflict had exposed. This meant determining the most efficient way to rear animals.

Rowett scientists made major breakthroughs in understanding the metabolic requirements for growth of cattle and sheep.

They discovered that feeding ruminant animals a cereal-based diet is more efficient than a roughage based diet. This led to completely new guidelines for farmers on what and how to feed their cattle on the farm and the development of the Rowett’s barley-beef feeding regime. It was taken up widely in the UK and beyond with Rowett staff personally invited to Cuba by Fidel Castro to establish a research facility there.

Action on Scottish Diet

Before 1983 there were no overarching public health nutrition guidelines in the UK. The turning point came that year when a working party was set up to examine the issue. It was led by the Rowett’s fourth director, Professor Philip James, who went on to join a committee which emphasised the growing evidence between diet and particularly cardiovascular health.

Particular note of this was taken in Scotland and James was asked to chair a group to make recommendations on how to improve the Scottish diet. This culminated in what is often called the James Report published in 1993

The document was taken up by the Scottish Office and was transformed into a 10-year policy document, called the Scottish Diet Action plan, which was implemented between 1996 and 2006. It established that Government recognised and accepted nutritional guidelines are required to protect the health of the population and the recommendations set out in the James report are still used today.

Going Global

While interest in animal nutrition began to wane in the UK, as it was perceived that the all the major efficiency gains in animal production had been achieved, the application of Rowett animal nutrition knowledge was in demand on a global scale.

In 1991, the International Feed Resources Unit was set up, with Bob Oskov a ruminant nutritionist as its head.He pioneered research building on what was known about ruminant nutrition to help developing countries, where animals are often key to survival but feeding them can be problematic.

The Unit provided training for students and scientists from developing countries in animal nutrition, conducted research in feed resource utilisation on a global basis and promoted international collaboration.

Supplying a City Under Siege

The Rowett played an important role after the outbreak of war in the Former Yugoslavia in 1992.

Rowett Director Professor Peter James and his team were asked by the World Health Organisation to estimatedthe energy needs of the people of Sarajevo, a city of 380,000 people being held under siege by Bosnian Serbs forces.

They found that the daily tonnage of food required to keep people healthy was 240 metric tonnes as opposed to the 40 being supplied. They were also able to provide an indication of how long the people could survive based on the low supply level.

The team found that all the assumptions about nutrition were based Aid agency calculations for supplying people during famine disasters in developing countries, rather than nutritional disasters in Europe.

The success of the Rowett team’s advice in Sarajevo meant they were subsequently asked to provide nutritional advice to other areas of the world where food supply and demand were destabilised by famine or war, such as in Rwanda.

Formation of the Food Standards Agency

In the wake of the BSE crisis, in 1997 the opposition Labour party under the leadership of Tony Blair asked Professor James to a meeting where they asked him to make the case for a new body to protect consumer food safety and standards.

James produced a blueprint document outlining a series of recommendation that would be required of a body taking on these duties.

This was the blueprint document for the setting up of the Food Standards Agency. As well as food safety and standards issues, the James report also recommended that the new Agency should take responsibility for nutritional issues.

On election the Labour government, took the James report, which had been positively received through public consultation and implemented almost all of its recommendations.