Dr Andy Beardsmore, managing director of 2011 Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation winners Ecosyl Products Ltd of Stokesley.
Bio-science specialist Ecosyl Products recently received Royal honours for development of friendly bacteria that increase food production, save water, improve harvest efficiency and may reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses that cause global warming.
Ecosyl managing director, Dr Andy Beardsmore, speaking from the company’s international headquarters at Stokesley, said: "This award was a welcome boost for the whole bio-science sector in the North as well as a great honour for Ecosyl. We have a strong scientific base in the region, capable of delivering important innovations that benefit food security, our environment and our economy and it needs to be nurtured and supported by government."
Ecosyl’s Queen’s Award winning innovative products include ECOSYL ULV and ECOSYL 100 ultra-low volume biological inoculants for treatment and enhancement of forage for cows and sheep. "In the same way that you can preserve milk by adding bacteria to make yoghurt, adding our MTD/1 bacteria to grass and maize helps it ferment quickly and safely, saving proteins and nutrients for a tasty and highly productive feed that will store for long periods," explained Dr Beardsmore.
"Ecosyl’s ultra-low volume technology allows naturally sourced, friendly bacteria to be kept alive at very high concentrations, making them much easier to use in the preservation of winter feed for dairy cows, beef cattle and sheep. The new products lead to a considerable reduction in the amount of water required during treatment. This enables contractors, having loaded with water at the beginning of a day, to complete a day’s work without refills. With the increase in distances between farm and field and in the size of harvesting equipment, this is a major benefit, increasing efficiency, as well as reducing costs."
Ecosyl’s biological technology was specifically developed to replace chemicals and acids that had various environmental and safety concerns including carcinogenic, corrosive and pollutant effects. Treating forage with Ecosyl inoculant also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide given off during the fermentation process and it appears that improvements in forage digestibility may also reduce the level of methane produced by cows fed Ecosyl treated crops. Both carbon dioxide and methane are important greenhouse gasses associated with global warming.
Ecosyl is a world leader in new technologies that help farmers increase milk and meat production from home grown forages and this is the second time the company has received honours from The Queen, winning a 2007 award in the international trade category. Ecosyl’s ultra-low volume products have already found a ready market in both the UK and North America.
Dr Beardsmore said: "This award is testament to the creativity and commitment of our research, manufacturing, sales and marketing and customer service teams and the tremendous support of distributors worldwide. We also owe much to the scientists, universities and research institutions who have always played an essential role in independently verifying the quality, efficacy and performance boosting activity of Ecosyl.
"Getting more milk and meat from forage has long been a proven route to greater farm profits. But the significant rise in animal feed prices, from increasing global demand and weather effects on grain crops, puts silage quality firmly at the top of the agenda for everyone chasing efficient, cost effective livestock production and we are helping to achieve that goal in the friendliest way possible."