Cheshire and Warrington’s agricultural technologies sector is set to benefit from an £85,000 grant to help boost its international profile and reputation as a super hub for breeding and animal science.
The grant is from the GREAT Britain campaign, the Government’s biggest ever marketing campaign encouraging the world to visit, do business invest and study in the UK. The Cheshire Agri-Tech project is the only one of its kind in the North West and one of 25 projects nationally to benefit from the £2m GREAT UK Challenge Fund. The fund,part of the GREAT Britain campaign, is administered by VisitEngland and aims to exploit market opportunities tocreate jobs and growth for the UK.
The project will be led by Marketing Cheshire, who promote Cheshire and Warrington nationally and internationally to investors, businesses and leisure visitors. Marketing Cheshire works with Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as well as leading private sector partners Cogent, Genus ABS, Chester Zoo, Bolesworth Estate, Harthill Stud, Wheatsheaf (Grosvenor Estates) and Aviagen.
Work is already underway after a delegation of partners attended the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin this week. A series of familiarisation trips will showcase the best of what Cheshire has to offer in this area including a PhD-focussed trip to build on Cheshire’s reputation as a centre of excellence for education facilities.
In March 2016 Cheshire will host an International Distributor conference bringing academics and commercial breeding organisations together to showcase Cheshire’s super hub for developing trade and exports in breeding and animal science.
The project aims to introduce at least 200 businesses to Cheshire and Warrington’s offer and generate at least £616,000 into the sub-region through business activity.
Katrina Michel, Chief Executive of Marketing Cheshire, said:
"This project aims to expose a global audience to the strengths of Cheshire as a business destination in this highly specialist and leading sector.
"Cheshire and Warrington has enormous expertise in agricultural technologies. There are over 2,200 agricultural, forestry and fisheries businesses based here, with world class experience in breeding and animal science. We also lead the way in rare breeds, conservation and population control through Chester Zoo, one of the world’s top zoos and the UK’s number one wildlife attraction. Cheshire and Warrington is a world leader in this innovative industry and this grant from the GREAT UK Challenge Fund will enable us to promote on an international scale the best of what the area has to offer.”
Read more at 871candwep.co.uk