The establishment of a new regional board in Northern Ireland has been announced by the Moredun Foundation, a leading farming animal charity.

Chair of the Northern Ireland Moredun Foundation Regional Board, Dr. Simon Doherty said: 

“The formation of the NI Regional Board of the Moredun Foundation is a significant step in further strengthening existing links between the farming and veterinary communities in Scotland and NI.”

He added that this will provide an “excellent vehicle” for knowledge between the Moredun Research Institute and farmers and vets in the two regions.

This new board will play a major role as a liaison between Moredun and livestock farmers in Northern Ireland.

The meeting was held on Monday, March 11 at the Maldron Belfast International Airport.

The meeting was attended by scientific director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Moredun Group, Dr. Tom McNeilly, as well as director of communications, Prof. Elisabeth Innes.

New regional board

The advisors are responsible for being aware of livestock health issues in their specific region, and they contribute to the effective communication of research outputs from Moredun to relevant stakeholders.

The feedback provided by regional advisors is highly valued by Moredun, influencing the organisation’s research relevance and shaping communication and outreach strategies.

Their efforts contribute to bridging the gap between research findings and practical application in the livestock industry, ensuring that farmers and veterinarians can derive maximum benefit from Moredun’s work. 

Dr. McNeilly said: â€œMoredun is a unique research organisation, as our work is co-developed with farmers to ensure that our research makes a real difference to livestock farmers and the animals they keep.”

Regional boards are critical in providing connections to the regional farming communities within the UK and this enables them to develop local activities which are of relevance to to each region, he said.

“These partnerships enable effective communication of new developments and technologies to farmers aimed at improving the health and welfare of farm animals while promoting sustainable agricultural practices,” Dr. McNeilly added.