New centre to focus on beef cattle health Honours student Caitlin Evans is studying at the Roseworthy campus, focusing on a cattle disease and how it relates to sheep. Picture: DYLAN COKER Source: adelaidenow A NEW animal research centre will be built at the University of Adelaide's Roseworthy campus and six world-class animal and crop researchers will be hired using a $50 million gift from two benefactors. The university says it will be the largest expansion of university-based research into animal and crop health and production in Australian history. The endowment will also be used to fund new postdoctoral fellowships and purchase research equipment. The funds come from the sale of properties given to the university by two benefactors, John Mortlock and John Davies, whose express wishes were to support these fields. Vice-chancellor Warren Bebbington said the research expansion would help the uni address global issues of food security and adapting food production to climate change. "These initiatives will make a major contribution to international research in agriculture and animal production, and confirm Adelaide as the leading centre for animal and agricultural research in Australia," he said. Animal and veterinary sciences head Kym Abbott said the new centre at Roseworthy would conduct research mainly in beef cattle health and production. "The endowment will greatly expand our capacity . . . (and) will allow us to become the preeminent cattle researcher in Australia," he said. The reasons for this sort of research is aimed at the efficiency of cattle and cattle products such as beef and milk and to reduce the poor health and welfare (in animals) and to improve human nutrition. It's about giving Australia a competitive edge with producing systems that are more efficient for producers themselves. Prof Bebbington said the Waite institute would concentrate on two of the biggest global challenges - food security and food production that creates healthy communities. The new roles will build research capacity, attracting major research funding and providing a dynamic environment that champions discovery with many opportunities for early-career researchers, he said. Honours student Caitlin Evans, 24, is studying at the Roseworthy campus, focusing on a cattle disease found in Australia and how it relates to sheep. I'm excited about the expansion and the opportunities it will create. I'm enjoying cattle so if there is a PhD in cattle on the cards I'm up for it," she said.