Oat Collaboration Sows Success
Quality Oats (QUOATS) is a £4.9million collaborative research project bringing together the whole of the oat production chain including research institutes, plant breeders, crop marketers, levy boards and commercial users. The main object of the project is to develop new oat varieties that meet the requirements of different commercial users. It aims to develop oats that provide:
• a source of healthy human food,
• a high energy animal feed which helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
• a source of high value compounds for industrial use.
The project is also working towards developing oats as a low input cereal which fits well into cereal and grassland rotations. In Scotland the oat processing sector has an output in excess of £115m per annum.
The benefits of this long term industry and research collaboration are evident. Since 2000, five new winter oat varieties have been developed and cultivars originating from IBERS now account for 70% of the UK market. One variety in particular, Gerald, is the market leader accounting for approximately 45% of the total winter crop.
Partners in QUOATS include ADAS UK Ltd, AHDB-DairyCo, AHDB-EBLEX, AHDB-HGCA, Bernard Matthews Ltd, British Oat and Barley Millers' Association, Du Pont (U.K.) Limited, Felin Ganol Watermill, G B Seeds, Harper Adams University College, IBERS, Aberystwyth University, James Hutton Institute, Mole Valley Feed Solutions, Nairn's Oatcakes Ltd, Oat Services, Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm, Phytatec (UK) Ltd, Poultry Xperience, Senova Ltd
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