China Direct

University of Nottingham launches machine learning for antibiotic resistance study in China

 

 

CBI member, The University of Nottingham has launched a new study surrounding the usage of machine learning to fight antibiotic resistance in farmed chickens in China.

Titled, ‘FARMWATCH’, the UK-led study aims to improve the health of farmed chickens in China and reduce the risk of disease and antibiotics transference to human populations, by using machine learning to find new ways to identify and pinpoint disease in poultry farms. If successful, farmers would begin to be able to rear chickens with a reduced need for antibiotics, lowering the risk of antibiotic resistance being transferred to consumers.

The £1.5m project is a partnership between researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science and the China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment. Funded by Innovate UK and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), the researchers are also collaborating with commercial partners, Nimrod Veterinary Products in the UK and New Hope Liuhe in China. 

Dr Tania Dottorini, Assistant Professor in Bioinformatics at The University of Nottingham, said: “This is a hugely important project that has the potential to transform the ways farm animals are treated and looked after. It also has significant impact on the heath of consumers of poultry products, with future ramifications to other farmed animals. […] For the first time we are using large-scale collection of data, statistical modelling and data mining powered by machine learning and cloud computing to find answers to some big problems faced by the farming industry. This project will contribute to sustainable development in China through improved health and well-being of vulnerable populations. We can then apply these learnings to the UK as well.” 

The researchers in Nottingham will be working with colleagues in China to take thousands of samples from the animals, humans and environment of nine farms, in three Chinese provinces over three years. This complex ‘big’ data will be analysed for new diagnostic biomarkers that will predict and detect bacterial infection, insurgence of ABR, and transfer to humans. This data will then allow early intervention and treatment, reducing spread and the need for antibiotics. 

Cranswick reports exports jump to East Asia

CBI member, and British meat processor, Cranswick has announced that exports of pork to East Asia have grown by 16% compared with the same period last year.

Capitalising on the African swine fever epidemic which has decimated China’s pig herds, Cranswick is bolstering its presence in the region through expanding outline sales and developing direct relationships with large processing customers. Cranswick reported that like for like export revenues had risen by 3% as a result.

According to Cranswick, between 10 to 35 per cent of China’s pig herd has already been lost to the disease, resulting in a potential pork shortfall supply of 16m tonnes annually. The company said that the effects of the disease on China and the surrounding region may last for more than three years “due to limited biosecurity and the slow replenishment of pig herds in the region.”

Shares in Cranswick were up 1 per cent in early trading on Tuesday, following the issuing of the statement.

 

 

Bayer brings green tech to Chinese agriculture

CBI member and German life sciences giant, Bayer has announced that it has partnered with China’s Ministry of Agriculture to launch China’s Enhancing Green Development Capability Plan.

Bayer’s agricultural division, Bayer Crop Science in China, will work with China’s National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Centre (NATESC) to operate a large-scale training programme across all of China to respond to the needs of green and quality development in Chinese agriculture. The project will officially get underway later this year, and will run for an initial five years.

Through sponsoring and co-launching the programme, Bayer hopes that China will be able to begin building its ‘green development capacity’, by developing the understanding of key players such as local officials, agricultural technicians, and executives in the ever-increasing number of Chinese agri-businesses.

Jesus Madrazo, Bayer head of Agricultural Affairs & Sustainability - crop science division, said, “There is broad recognition that China has made tremendous progress in not only advancing food security, but also the quality of what is grown, [so that] it is better for consumers and better for the environment. […] Bayer will remain committed to bringing innovative products and optimised integrated solutions for crops [to China], and provide training to farmers to help them master the most suitable methods and get better returns.”

Bayer believes that by increasing the prevalence of technology in agriculture and improving farmer’s access to data, levels of sustainability within Chinese agriculture will increase. As a result, the new Green Development Capability Plan places a heavy emphasis on helping growers to better understand the data from their own fields and to be able to use these insights to improve their farm management skills.

Speaking at the launch, Madrazo said, “Farmers today are more aware that they need to incorporate agronomic practises that are more precise, conserve natural resources, and produce more food from the same finite piece of land … over the next 20 years, there will be more innovative technologies to support farmers to practise sustainable agricultural production. […] combining advanced [seed] breeding technologies that makes seeds smarter and more productive, together with modern crop protection products that are friendlier to the environment, coupled with biological technologies that really help explore the power of microorganisms in the soil, will shape sustainability for the benefit of farmers, consumers and our planet.”

BASF & China swine research insititute to research antibiotic alternatives

 

BASF has entered into a three and a half year partnership with South China Agriculture University (SCAU) to conduct a large-scale doctoral (PhD) research project. The collaboration aims to examine the role of organic acids as effective, core eubiotic alternatives for reducing the usage of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in post-weaning piglets.

Eubiotics are feed additives used to maintain an optimal balance of microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract, improving animal health status and growth performance. The project looks deeper into a wide range of eubiotics, and the safety and efficacy of individual or combined eubiotics will also be explored.

The information generated by this project will provide feed producers and farmers with greater insight into available eubiotic AGP alternatives and therefore, greater confidence in their selection process. SCAU was founded in 1909. Located in Guangdong province, it is, today, one of the key agricultural universities in China, and is highly regarded as a prominent swine research institute.

Please read more here.

UK-China Newton Fund offers hi-tech agri-robotic opportunities for CBI members

 

CBI member Harper Adams University announced that Professor Simon Blackmore, Head of Engineering at Harper Adams University and Head of the National Centre for Precision Farming, travelled to China and Malaysia to share his expertise at key precision agriculture events.

Professor Blackmore is a Guest Professor at South China Agricultural University (SCAU) and also holds Chairs at China Agricultural University and the National Engineering Research Centre for Information Technology in Agriculture (NERCITA).

He gave a keynote speech at the Sixth Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture, held at SCAU in Guangzhou, on the latest developments in robotic agriculture.

Professor Blackmore said, “Precision agriculture is on the brink of a new phase of development involving smart machines that can operate by themselves, which will allow production agriculture to become significantly more efficient. Precision agriculture is becoming robotic agriculture. At the conference we saw many new technologies, but the most significant was the development of agricultural drones, with a demonstration of spraying drones in paddy fields and a number of commercial offerings. SCAU demonstrated their automated tractor, their master-follower tractor system and robotic rice sprayer. I am impressed by how quickly China has developed new technologies over the last 10 years to join us as a world leader in robotic agriculture.”

Professor Blackmore explained that a new bilateral agreement between the U.K. and China, the Newton China Fund, would allow U.K. and China partners to exchange ideas and develop new technologies.

The Newton China Fund is sponsored by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Chinese government, and Harper Adams University intends to be one of the main partners.

The university is already involved in one Newton China Fund project and, via the National Centre for Precision Farming, is submitting a proposal for a second. Following the successful conference at Guangzhou, Professor Blackmore flew on to Malaysia, where he was part of a panel carrying out a precision agriculture research consultation programme at the Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MARDI).

Please click here to read more about precision farming and here to read more about the latest precision farming research.

One Belt One Road - New opportunities in China & Beyond

In partnership with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) recently released a comprehensive new report on China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

Designed as a practical guide to where the opportunities lie for UK companies, the report contains chapters on seven key sectors which stand to benefit—infrastructure, financial and professional services, advanced manufacturing and transport, agriculture, energy and resources, e-commerce and logistics, and healthcare and life sciences—and 13 major regions to help British businesses understand what the implications are in their industries and where their next steps should be.

Please find the full PDF version of the report attached below.

http://www.cbbc.org/sectors/one-belt,-one-road/

UK-Thailand Webinar - 29 Oct - date for your diary

 

As part of the CBI’s growing ASEAN offering we are delighted to invite you to join us at a webinar hosted by the British Embassy in Thailand on 29^th October.

This is an invaluable opportunity for interested businesses to hear the latest Thailand political, economic and investment analysis from HMA Mark Kent.

Thailand is the second largest economy in South-East Asia, a market of 600m people, with a pedigree of ease of doing business and respect for British quality and ingenuity.

How does the situation on the ground look 16 months on from the coup? A new draft constitution was recently rejected, delaying elections until 2017. Coupled with this political backdrop, Thailand has not been immune to the global economic headwinds.

A new economic team is in place but how do they plan to inject confidence into the Thai economy? Will new measures to encourage FDI prove more attractive than the offers of ASEAN neighbours? And what are the opportunities for UK businesses? 

Please click on the pdf download link or kindly refer to the joining instructions below.

Event Details:

Event title:        Thailand - political, economic and investment update featuring British Ambassador, H.E. Mark Kent

Date:                Thursday, 29^th October 2015

Time:                08:00 UK Time / 16:00 Bangkok Time / 17:00 Beijing Time

Format:             Webinar

Registration link:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1944557051984676097

We very much hope that you could join this webinar to hear the latest analysis from British Ambassador H.E. Mark Kent on 29^th October.

Sincerely yours,

China Direct

Download Webinar - Thailand - political, economic and investment update on 29 Oct 2015

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visits China

 

 

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visits China

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited China, where she undertook a series of high-profile business engagements to promote Scottish business in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, including hosting an ‘innovation’ showcase for Scottish companies to meet with Chinese investors. 

In total, Scottish firms signed partnership agreements in China worth more than £43 million, which are expected to create 70 jobs in Scotland. Examples of key announcements included:

• J&D Wilkie is building a new £3 million factory in Jianxing near Shanghai to enable it produce      technical textiles products and increase its competitiveness by bringing its entire yarn-spinning operations into one location. The deal will safeguard 90 jobs in Scotland and has the potential to double the J&D Wilkie positions in China. 
• Glasgow-based Digimania announced a 3D animation software training partnership with the Shanghai Arts and Design Academy as well as a joint venture with Chinese partner Pikatoons. The deals will increase Digimania’s revenue from China by approximately £12 million over three years, creating 12 new jobs in  Scotland and 14 new jobs in China.
• KAL ATM Software signed a partnership with JustTide, the Chinese OEN supplier, which will manufacture Retail Teller Machines (RTMs) for the worldwide market. 
• Aberdeen-based Plexus gained a multi-million pound investment from Jereh, one of the largest private oil firms in China. They also signed a collaboration agreement with China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL), Red Sea Technologies (RST), and Jereh to explore shallow water subsea and crossover wellhead production systems in China. COSL is majority owned by CNOOC.
• Technology companies Care Visions and Calnex Solutions signed trade deals alongside energy firms  SgurrEnergy Glasgow and GB Therma Chem and information technology companies Distrify Media and We.data.

The First Minister also undertook a series of cultural and educational engagements, which resulted in announcements such as:

• Scotland and China renewed the cultural Memorandum of Understanding, first signed in 2011, committing both sides to further collaboration in the arts and creative industries.
• The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) signed an agreement to encourage further collaboration in the performing arts. Chinese artists will perform at the EIF, the Edinburgh fringe, and the Tattoo.
• Aberdeen University, Edinburgh Napier University, and English language training firm TEFL Scotland also signed deals.

 

 

PwC establishes Food Supply and Integrity Services business

 

CBI member PwC marked World Health Day by announcing the establishment of its Food Supply and Integrity Services business to help food companies, investors, and governments tackle food security, safety, and quality concerns.

PwC’s Food Supply and Integrity Services offering includes corporate governance, supply chain integrity, fraud prevention, traceability, crisis management, regulatory compliance, and transaction services.

PwC China is offering its Food Supply and Integrity Services through a strategic alliance with AsureQuality, a New Zealand Government-owned food safety and biosecurity company.

Last November, PwC China and PwC New Zealand, together with AsureQuality, signed a cooperation framework agreement with COFCO.

As part of the agreement, PwC China, PwC New Zealand, and AsureQuality are developing a new integrated food safety and quality framework to assist COFCO. The agreement is the first step in a plan to bring China’s food safety to a new level.

Please read more here. 

New UK Agriculture & Food Counsellor for China

U.K. appoints first Agriculture and Food Counsellor in China

 

 

The U.K. has recently appointed its first Agriculture and Food Counsellor in China to help increase its growing food and drink exports to the country.

The new role, made possible with significant funding from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), will help British firms tap into China’s growing interest in specialty foods—a market expected to be worth a potential £39 billion this year.

Karen Morgan, based in the British Embassy in Beijing, will represent the interests of U.K. businesses already exporting quality British food and drink produce to China and firms looking to open new trade links.

The U.K.’s food and drink businesses are steadily building their share of the lucrative Chinese market, with a record £215 million worth of produce exported in 2013, up from £136 million in 2012.

This new appointment is expected to see these figures grow further. Please read more here.