Environment Secretary Hilary Benn this week launched the new Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) and opened its state-of-the-art facility in Sand Hutton.

The new agency combines several parts of Defra science, which will strengthen the world-class research Defra uses to help protect the natural environment.

Fera will strengthen Defra’s ground-breaking food, farming and environmental research programme.

It brings together Defra’s Central Science Laboratory, Plant Health Division, Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate, the Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division and UK Government Decontamination Service into one agency.

This will significantly strengthen Defra’s work in plant and crop protection, food chain safety, environmental risk assessment and crisis response, and promote better integration between policy development, scientific evidence and inspection services. The merger will also enable a more rapid response to protect the public interest, and remove delays for businesses involved in both national and international trade. Mr Benn said: “As we face the challenge of climate change, we need strong scientific institutions to provide us with good, credible evidence. The creation of Fera is a big step forward in doing this.”

Adrian Belton, chief executive officer of Fera, said: “The launch has helped to raise the profile of Fera’s work in support of Government priorities and indeed how our world class science and innovation can be exploited more widely for the challenges facing society, as well as business.”

Mr Benn then travelled to Askham Bryan agricultural college, and was taken on a tour of the college and grounds by the principal, Liz Philip. He toured the working farm where students practise the techniques they need to take into the industry.

Mr Benn was also able to talk to the students and see the cattle at the National Beef Training Centre.

He heard about the Fantasy Farming Project, which is the Fantasy Farming League for Yorkshire beef and dairy farmers, hosted by Askham Bryan College and supported by Asda and Anglo Beef Processors (ABP), with financial assistance from LandSkills.

Mr Benn said: “Askham Bryan is one of those places where you get a sense of the enormous potential for British farming, the standards of excellence that consumers demand and farmers deliver, and the exciting ways the indutry will develop in the future.”

Liz Philip, the principal of Askam Bryan, said: “Agriculture is the bed rock of our education and research and our outstanding facilities demonstrate the college’s commitment to the industry as an investment in our students’ future careers.”