1. The Relu Programme and Animal and Plant Disease Management

2. The Relu Programme Relu is promoting interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance understandings of the social, economic, environmental and technological challenges facing agriculture and rural areas  UK venture involving Economic and Social Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Natural Environment Research Council (plus Defra and the Scottish Government)  Budget = £25 million  2004-2011

3. Rural areas have encountered change and upheaval in recent years. Key public challenges include:  Restoring trust in food chains  Tackling animal disease in a socially acceptable manner  Sustaining agriculture in a liberalised economy  Promoting robust rural economies  Mitigating threats from climate change and invasive species  Reducing stress on water catchments Key Public Challenges

4.  Joined-up science (committed to interdisciplinary research between social and natural sciences) - 65 projects, 450 researchers, over 40 disciplines - Aim to build capacity for interdisciplinary research  Socially accountable science - Two-way exchange between researchers and users - Building networks between research, policy and practice - Building capacity for knowledge exchange - Diverse forms of engagement - Active partners in setting priorities of research New ways of doing science

5. Re-Framing Science The management of animal and plant diseases  There are environmental risks and social and economic consequences of narrowly based technical decision making  Interdisciplinary research brings together different perspectives and methodologies to reframe such problems  The research will consider how the constraints on, and options for, disease prevention and management are being altered by changes in the countryside, shifting social, economic, environmental and ethical concerns, technological developments and globalisation

6.  Reducing E coli risk in rural communities  The governance of livestock disease  Assessing and communicating animal disease risks for countryside users  Assessment of knowledge sources in animal disease control  Lessons from Dutch Elm Disease in assessing the threat from Sudden Oak Death  Assessing the potential rural impact of plant disease  Overcoming market and technical obstacles to alternative pest management in arable systems  Interdisciplinary Fellowships:  Reinventing the wheel? Farm health planning 1942-2006  Science communication on badgers and TB The Projects

7.  Defra has provided additional funding to support the work of Relu projects, to:  enable additional research and analysis to be carried out  support a programme of knowledge exchange (work shadowing, visiting fellowships, briefing and policy notes etc.)  Interaction between teams and policy staff will be supported by Dr Abigail Woods, Relu Research Fellow Defra Funding

8. Knowledge exchange: the history Consultation on parameters of call for projects Stakeholder evaluation of bids Stakeholder engagement plans – each project develops its own Relu-wide engagement workshops (e.g May 2008)

9. Knowledge exchange: plans for the future Events run by project teams (eg animal welfare seminar in May) Relu engagement workshops (2 nd planned early autumn 2009) Relu Animal and Plant Disease Stakeholder Forum Work shadowing and visiting fellowships Web-based communications E-newsletter Relu publications (eg policy and practice notes, special issue of journal) Specialist and mainstream media coverage