Written by John Swire
The Forage Analysis Assurance Group (FAA Group), comprising laboratories and companies working in the area of forage analysis in the UK and Republic of Ireland, have appointed the Agricultural Industries Confederation Services (AICS) to take on management of the group and its services.
Formed in 2000, the group provides a quality control role for analysis of various forage types to ensure high standards. Across the group, over 70,000 forage analyses of grass, whole crop and maize are carried out each year.
AICS was appointed following a tender process by the FAA Group. AICS provide the Chair and Technical Secretariat to the Group and is coordinating development of a new website reporting system and communications within the Group.
Innovative technology is now being deployed in grass and forage analysis which delivers ever faster results. Thus, making best use of modern communications ensures analytical information can be immediately used to benefit livestock. “Forage analysis is continually developing and the FAA are looking to lead of forage analysis for the UK livestock sector” said Steve Fisher of FAA group member company Sciantec.
AICS manages a number of feed assurance schemes and has close links with the Feed Adviser Register whose members are direct users of forage analysis.
John Kelley, who now chairs the FAA Group said: “This is a great opportunity for FAA to further enhance the services that its members offer to the industry. We will ensure the links between feed advisers and AIC Services’ feed schemes will lead to more productive and sustainable feed diets.”
The FAA Group embraces all methods of forage analysis and via its proficiency test measures accuracy of different techniques against the benchmark of wet chemistry analysis. This provides assurance to the nutritionist, feed adviser and farmer that the results can be used with confidence in designing feed formulations and regimes on farm.
Later this year, new reporting functionality will allow users to view the quality performance of their laboratory in the Proficiency Testing scheme. This will help to maintain standards within the industry and drive high performance standards.
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