Jonathan Birnie looks back on his time as a PhD student at AFBI Hillsborough, the research skills that shaped his career, and how a grounding in science has underpinned work across policy, industry, retail and consultancy
What years were you based at AFBI Hillsborough, and what was your PhD topic?
October 1996 to June 1999, investigating the factors affecting the fasting metabolism of dairy cows.
Were findings from your research taken forward into practice, policy, or industry application?
Research fed into updates for the basic calculations for energy requirement for dairy cows. The research demonstrated that fat was broadly metabolically inactive and that the body condition score of cattle should be used to correct calculations of energy need that were solely based on weight.
Your career has spanned policy, retail, processing, supply‑chain research and now consultancy. How did your career develop after leaving Hillsborough, and what drew you towards roles that operate across the full agri‑food supply chain?
Towards the end of my PhD programme, I was offered a post as a policy advisor for the National Farmers Union, based in Yorkshire. It proved to be a really good foundation for later roles.
I moved from the NFU to work with Sainsburys as their first Agriculture Manager, and this gave me exposure to the retail and processing sector. I moved from Sainsbury’s to Dungannon Meats (now Dunbia), where I spent 13 years, finishing as Head of Agriculture and Research.
I left Dunbia in 2017 to set up a Birnie Consultancy, which specialises in Agri-Food. The business now employs nine people in various roles and has worked with many of the multiple retailers, levy organisations, WWF, RSPB, governments, science organisations and very many more.
Which skills, knowledge, or experiences gained during your time at Hillsborough proved most valuable as you moved into senior industry and leadership roles?
My PhD has proved invaluable throughout my career. The skills learnt during the process has underpinned many aspects of what I have done since. These include project design and management, data gathering and analysis, self-motivation, critical thinking, report writing, presentation of information and much more. I also learnt much about challenging the current status quo, and about being prepared to think differently to solve problems.
You have worked extensively at the interface between science, industry, policy and practice. How important was your research training in helping you drive change and innovation in commercial agri‑food systems?
The research training was vital. It is very difficult to understand the procedures and pressures around research until you have done it (and made the mistakes). The PhD opened doors to running a range of different projects and enabled significant progress to be made. This scientific training is now regularly combined with practical business experience and understanding to enable relevant application of research principles.
Do you have a favourite memory or a defining moment from your time at Hillsborough that stands out all these years later?
For me it was about the people and dynamism of the place. There were very many inspirational researchers at Hillsborough, including Fred Gordon and Sinclair Mayne (and many others), and I had an excellent supervisor in Rosemary Agnew who made the process of getting a PhD relatively simple.
As AFBI marks 100 years of agricultural research at Hillsborough, what aspect of its legacy stands out most to you, and how do you feel personally about having been part of that history?
I’m proud to have been associated with Hillsborough and its legacy of delivering practical industry research which improves farm performance. Our agrifood industry in Northern Ireland has a lot to be proud of, and Hillsborough is a big part of that story.