MP Praises SCRI Performance
According to a recent report produced by DTZ consultants on behalf of the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI), the products of the Institute contribute some £165 million per year to the Scottish and UK economy - a return of about £14 for every £1 of public money spent on research.
Welcoming the report, MP Pete Wishart said: “Scotland’s leading centre for research on crops has emerged as a strong new contributor to the Tayside and Scottish economy and is one of the great economic and research success stories of our country.
“SCRI, based at Invergowrie between Perth and Dundee, generates an estimated £160 million of business every year in the farming, manufacturing and retail sectors in Scotland and the rest of the UK. Experts say the figure could be as high as £227 million.” |
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Multiplier x 12
The scientists working with cereals, potatoes and soft fruit get their funding from the Scottish Executive, the European Union and commercial enterprises. But economists say that original investment is multiplied twelve fold when the benefits of research, innovation and new products are reflected in the economy.
“That’s the equivalent to £3 for every man, woman and child in Scotland or the cost of building a new hospital each year,” remarked the MP. “Based on return investment, the market performance outstrips many other sectors in the Scottish Economy including higher education sector.”
SCRI Researchers work to improve the performance, productivity and nutritional quality of a range of crops from barley for the whisky industry, through potatoes for big supermarket chains to the raspberries, black currents and blueberries that make up the current ‘berry bonanza’
The MP added that, as well as the economic advantages of the SCRI to Perth and North Perthshire, there are many unquantifiable environmental and health benefits - such as the production of healthier and nutritious foods, reduced use of pesticides and pollution, better land management and reduced soil erosion.
He concluded: “I am delighted with this report which truly highlights the economic, research and environmental value of this fantastic facility to Perthshire and the rest of Scotland, and congratulate all of those at the Institute.”
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