‘Ground-breaking’ aquatic testing facility launched in York

The first fully flow-through, edge of field waterbody safety assessment facility in Europe has been launched at the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus (NAFIC) in York.

The E-Flows mesocosm has been designed and developed by science and research organisation Fera Science, in partnership with CHAP (Centre for Crop Health and Protection) and supported by Innovate UK.

The facility, which has been in development for two years, will allow the examination of simulations of natural aquatic environments under controlled conditions. This form of testing will enable the agri-chemical industry to demonstrate whether their products pose any risk to aquatic environments.

Researchers will have access to a test-bed of 60 realistic streams, each of up to two metres wide and ten metres long, which can be varied independently to suit their requirements.

The project will be managed and operated by Fera.

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, officially opened the facility.

Dr Andrew Swift, CEO of Fera Science, said: “The E-Flows mesocosm is a ground-breaking facility that will support the protection of natural capital and our environment. We are delighted to have been able to launch the facility with the Kevin Hollinrake MP, who continues to be supportive of the work both Fera and our partners deliver.”

Kevin Hollinrake MP added: “It was an honour to open the E-Flow Mesocosm at Sand Hutton,” said “I’m fully supportive of all the work CHAP and its partners, like Fera, are doing here.

“The day was quite an eye-opener and made me realise just how important it is to use science and technology to help increase crop productivity, reduce costs and protect our environment.”

Dr Rachel Benstead, senior aquatic ecotoxicologist at Fera Science, said: “Historically, many standard mesocosms lack the scale, water flow and realism of real-life aquatic environments as they tend to be relatively small and unable to support the abundance of biodiversity needed to meet regulatory requirements.

“Many of those currently available are static or simply recirculate water, which is not a true representation of what happens out in the field, where fresh water is continuously flowing.

“Our E-Flows mesocosm is supplied with a continuous flow-through of aged, fresh water. Combined with its significantly large size, we are able to better support the diverse aquatic communities, ensuring testing will be fairer, more flexible and representative of real life, providing the best possible opportunities for leading research in agriculture.”

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