The Meat Research Institute was a research institute in

North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...

. It was founded in 1967 to provide research for the British

meat industry The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat (in contrast to dairy products, wool, etc.). In economics, the meat industry is ...

History

In the late 1950s there was a need in the UK for a meat research institute, but no further plans. In March 1962 there was a meeting with thirty one meat producers and representatives from the government and it was decided to build a meat research institute, costing around £500,000 and annual running costs of around £100,000. The first director was appointed in February 1963, before the building construction had begun, who came from the

Low Temperature Research Station Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: L ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. It was decided to put the research institute next to the veterinary school. Planning permission for the site was issued in May 1963. To pay for the cost of the institute, the government put a levy on livestock, later administered by the

Meat and Livestock Commission The Meat and Livestock Commission, (MLC), was set up by the UK Government under the Agriculture Act 1967 with Government money with the remit to promote the sale of red meat. The MLC was previously an independent non-departmental public body, bu ...

. In October 1966, a new £1m Food Research Institute was announced to be built at Norwich, similarly next to the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. The institute in Somerset was hoped to open in the autumn of 1967. In November 1967 staff moved in. The

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, with the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke ...

and

Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort Henry Hugh Arthur FitzRoy Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort (4 April 1900 – 5 February 1984), styled Marquess of Worcester until 1924, was a peer, landowner, society figure and a great authority in the fields of horse racing and fox-hunting. ...

, officially opened the new institute on 19 April 1968,''Times'', Saturday 20 April 1968, page 9 also opening new buildings of the veterinary school next door. Buglers played ''

The Roast Beef of Old England "The Roast Beef of Old England" is an English patriotic ballad. It was written by Henry Fielding for his play '' The Grub-Street Opera'', which was first performed in 1731. The lyrics were added to over the next twenty years. The song increase ...

''. It became part of the IFR in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

in 1985, when merged with the

National Institute for Research in Dairying The Quadram Institute is a centre for food and health research, combining Quadram Institute Bioscience (formerly the Institute of Food Research), the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals’ endoscopy centre and aspects of the University ...

, which is now the

Quadram Institute Bioscience The Quadram Institute is a centre for food and health research, combining Quadram Institute Bioscience (formerly the Institute of Food Research), the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals’ endoscopy centre and aspects of the University ...

. In 1990 the government decided to stop funding to the research institute, and the research institute closed in December 1990.

Structure

It was at

Lower Langford Lower Langford is a village within the civil parishes of Churchill and Burrington in the unitary authority of North Somerset, England. It is located on the western edge of the Mendip Hills about east of Weston-super-Mare. It was a village built ...

. It was situated next to the Langford House School of Veterinary Science, on the B3133 (for

Congresbury Congresbury is a village and civil parish on the northwestern slopes of the Mendip Hills in North Somerset, England, which in 2011 had a population of 3,497. It lies on the A370 between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, south of Bri ...

), north of the A38.

References

External links

Research site
{{authority control 1967 establishments in the United Kingdom 1990 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Agricultural research institutes in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in North Somerset Economy of Somerset Government agencies established in 1967 Meat processing in the United Kingdom Organizations disestablished in 1990 Research institutes established in 1967 Research institutes in England Science and technology in Somerset Food science institutes

History

Structure

See also

References

External links