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Members

The Committee’s members are a highly competent and professional team of individuals from world class geneticists, to industry leaders and key personnel from the UK’s principle livestock breeding companies and conservation organisations.

Prof Geoff Simm (NSC chair) heads the Sustainable Livestock Systems Research Group in SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) - a group with interests in animal breeding and genetics, animal behaviour and welfare and livestock production systems. His own research interests are in the sustainable use of Farm Animal Genetic Resources.

Dr. Santiago Avendaño is Senior Geneticist for Aviagen Limited, a breeding organization distributing genetically improved broiler and turkey stock worldwide. Dr. Avendaño holds a PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Edinburgh University and SAC in Edinburgh. Dr. Avendaño has conducted research on maximizing genetic gains while restricting inbreeding rates in beef cattle and sheep breeding populations in UK and has also managed breeding herds and flocks in Latin America.

Peter Baber is a commercial sheep farmer and consultant with a particular interest in performance recording and pedigree breeding. He’s Chairman of EIG Sheep Health and Welfare Council and was previously Chairman of the Semen Archive Management Board.

Marcus Bates has been Chief Executive of the British Pig Association since 1999. Over the past ten years he’s worked closely with DEFRA on the National Action Plan on Farm Animal Genetic Resources, the Breeds at Risk Register, and the development of the Animal Movement and Licensing System (AMLS). He’s also a member of the UK Export Certification Partnership.

Richard Davis is a dairy farmer from Bedfordshire. He’s currently Chairman of Assured Dairy Farms and a dairy industry director of Assured Food Standards (Red Tractor). He’s also on the NFU National Dairy Board and a Director of DairyCo.

Prof Stephen Hall is Professor of Animal Science at the University of Lincoln. He’s Vice-Chairman of the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association and also on the Board of Directors of Hill Holt Wood, a social enterprise based in ancient woodland to the southwest of Lincoln. He sits on the Lincoln City Council Commons Advisory Panel. Stephen is a published author.

Elizabeth (Libby) Henson is Director of Grassroots Systems Ltd. a specialist software company providing pedigree database services to over eighty commercial and rarer breeds. She’s formerly a member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Council and Chief Executive of the American Minor Breeds Conservancy.

Julian Hosking is a Senior Specialist in Rural Land Management and Native Grazing Livestock Breeds at Natural England. He is a particular proponent of using native breeds to contribute to the delivery of environmental land management objectives through agri-environment and other rural development programmes. He’s also a rural practice chartered surveyor and agricultural valuer.

Prof Charlotte Maltin previously worked at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen where, latterly, she was Head of the Muscle Biology Group. She joined Quality Meat Scotland as the Science and Innovation Manager in June 2004, and was awarded an Honorary Professorship by Robert Gordon University in 2005. She’s a member of the Scottish Food Advisory Committee, and the Managing Director of Biomics Ltd.

Dr Tim Roughsedge is an Animal Breeding Specialist in the Sustainable Livestock Systems group at the Scottish Agricultural College. His research interests include the sustainable use of new molecular genetic tools in breeding programmes. He has previous experience of working as a genetics advisor on the National Scrapie Plan Semen Archive Management Board.

Andrew Sheppy isDirector of The Cobthorn Trust which works on genetic and environmental conservation in agriculture and a pioneering specialist in conservation grazing management. He’s also Curator of The National Poultry Collection, which maintains many nucleus breeding groups and the International Co-ordinator for Orginal Population Programmes for cattle.

Dr Richard Small is a principal lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University where he leads the Wildlife Conservation and Environmental Sciences degree programmes. He’s a Council member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and a member of the advisory committee of the Grazing Advice Partnership. His research and consultancy interests include the use of grazing livestock for habitat management.

Mark Smith  is the Production Director for Genus/ABS, and responsible for dairy and beef breeding programmes and semen production facilities outside of the Americas. He’s also a board member for British Livestock Genetics, promoting UK farm animal genetics to overseas customers.

Chris Warkup is the Chief Executive of the Genesis Faraday Partnership - a knowledge transfer network specialising in genetics and genomics as applied to animal breeding and animal health. He’s also the Coordinator of two EU Framework projects on livestock genomics and a Trustee of the Roslin Foundation.

Prof John Woolliams is a quantitative geneticist employed by the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, and his work has covered both theoretical and applied aspects of genetics in managed populations. His applied work has involved working closely with many industry partners from breeding companies to breed societies. He has worked on several projects for FAO, primarily concerned with the writing of guidelines to support the management of animal genetic resources, spanning their conservation, utilisation, surveying and monitoring.

Page last modified: 14 October 2009
Page published: 18 May 2009