Farmers stand to benefit from cutting edge research into plant and animal nutrition after Timac Agro UK established its head office at the Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise (RoCRE).

Timac Agro UK, specialists in revolutionary crop and livestock nutrition – from fertiliser to mineral blocks – has moved to the Hertfordshire site to further develop its research and industry links. “Our job is to enhance nutrient efficiency, to better meet plant and animal needs and help farmers to make greater margins,” explains Cyril Cappe, general manager at Timac Agro UK.

“As a global company we are always investing in research and development, with over 70 partnerships with universities around the globe. However, UK farmers have specific challenges and needs, and by working with Rothamsted we can develop specific solutions.”

Timac Agro manufactures everything from arable and grass fertiliser to bio-stimulants, soil conditioners, mineral blocks, bedding and slurry enhancers. “We want to help build a sustainable business for farmers and for the next generation of Timac Agro UK,” says Mr Cappe. “To do that we need to go a bit further than everyone else, working with scientists and experts in their field to increase nutrition efficiencies.”

Rothamsted Research is the longest running agricultural research station in the world, and the associated RoCRE provides a hub for agri-tech businesses, promoting collaboration and innovation by partnering research with commercial organisations. “We now have 15 businesses on-site and we are delighted that Timac Agro UK is joining the Rothamsted community,” says RoCRE executive director Chris Dunkley. “By partnering in this way the science that Rothamsted does becomes more relevant and practical to the wider industry, and we are very much looking forward to working together.”

With the support of its parent company Roullier Group – which has an 8,000m2 global innovation centre in Brittany, France – Timac Agro UK has already funded a Rothamsted PhD project on the control of tillering in wheat, and is developing a demonstration platform on the facility’s 400ha farm. “We will be able to carry out trials and bring farmers along to see what we’re doing,” says Mr Cappe. “We also have access to the large conference facility and a network of like-minded agri-tech companies which will help us to extend our innovation and ability to think outside the box. This move is a key milestone to allow further development and reinforce our links in the UK agricultural market.”