FUNDED MRes - Agricultural Economics

Food, Land & Agribusiness Management

Improving the efficiency of UK sheep farms

MRes (Agricultural Economics) Studentship - Tuition Scholarship (12 months funding)Supported by the Worshipful Company of Butchers

Background & Underlying rationale

The UK’s agricultural sector, and in particular the livestock sector, remains a significant contributor to Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Additionally, agricultural and environmental policy in the UK is focused on moving agriculture towards being more sustainable (i.e. biodiverse and net zero) while maintaining a profitable and socially resilient agricultural sector1. Benchmarking is often proposed as a means of identifying options for improving livestock production2. However, benchmarks based on simply ranking individual producers (based on profit or another measure such as gross margin per sheep or hectare) are only ‘partial measures of efficiency’ and are limited in their ability to identify better management strategies2. To overcome the known limitations of benchmarking this MRes project would focus on measuring the technical efficiency of individual sheep farms with respect to their current environmental performance (e.g. GHG, biodiversity etc), flock genetics and productive performance. The project will utilize econometric methods (e.g. Data Envelopment Analysis) to analyse anonymised raw farm data3. The MRes project would add value to the Defra FIP funded project ‘Breeding Low Methane Sheep’4which involves Dalehead Foods (Pilgrim’s

UK) who are collecting individual farm data from around 60 sheep farms. This provides a significant opportunity to:

• Compare the performance of sheep farms beyond just typical benchmarked (GM/CoP/GHG emissions) performance,
• Identify the most efficient pathways and practices (e.g. parasite management) for individual sheep farms to improve their performance (in terms of production, environmental and economic) towards the frontier of what is possible (which is defined by the most efficient sheep farms),
• Assess the impact of prior investments in sheep genetics and environmental actions/resources on sheep farm performance.

Through collaboration with the UK food company, the proposed research will directly provide individualised feedback to participating sheep farmers that would show their current efficiency and what they need to prioritise to become more efficient.

The objective of this MRes scholarship is to support the development a researcher/professional capable of critically and pragmatically analysing the efficiency of individual farms within the UK sheep sector. The scholar will receive training in agricultural economics and applied econometrics, gaining the ability to competently analyse diverse data to inform decision making. As part of the MRes programme additional support will be provided through 4 selected taught modules that introduce and develop essential core skills within the student.

The outcomes of the research will include establishing the basic data requirements to enable the use of the DEA framework to provide decision support to UK farmers and supply chain stakeholders. The framework and anonymised findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. This MRes studentship provides the opportunity for the student to learn from farmers and others across the whole UK lamb supply chain.

The MRes (Agricultural Economics) Studentship - Tuition Scholarship is supported by the Worshipful Company of Butchers (WCB). The Worshipful Company of Butchers is one of the oldest of the 110 City of London Livery Companies, and they can trace their roots back to 975 AD. The Livery Company offers a unique centre-point to the British meat industry and is at the heart of one of the country’s biggest and most important trades.

Starting dates

The studentship would commence ion 19th September 2023 at Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Shropshire, United Kingdom.

For further information about the University, please visit our website at www.harper-adams.ac.uk

Only Home residents (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man & Channel Isles residents) may apply for the WCB Studentship, which covers operational funds and all tuition fees.

All applicants must have:

• One of the following:
  • UK honours degree (or equivalent) in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Agriculture (Farm Business Management), or related fields, with a minimum 2.1 achievement in degree qualification (or equivalent)
  • Honours degree plus previous and appropriate research experience
  • Postgraduate diploma or equivalent (at merit or distinction)

• Evidence of interest and experience in agricultural economics and the management of sheep production systems or evidence of a strong desire to learn.
• The ability to work as part of a research team and self-motivation to take responsibility for their own work, and evidence to illustrate this.
• A minimum level of competency in English. International applicants must be classed with an overall International English Language Test System (IELTS) grade of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component. International applicants, or those whose first language is not English, may provide evidence of this by uploading their certificate. Alternatively, evidence of successful achievement of a degree taught in English may be sufficient. Please see the following link with regard to English Language requirements:

Desirable attributes include:

• Experience of applied modelling and data analysis skills, and
• Evidence of written and verbal communication of scientific reports, and review or awareness of scientific literature in English.

Application Procedure:

Applications should be made by sending a full Curriculum Vitae and supporting documents to Karl Behrendt - kbehrendt@harper-adams.ac.uk

Candidates should ensure that they provide full details of the name, postal address, email address and telephone number of two referees.

Application deadline is midnight on 27th July2023