JOB losses have been announced at a major agricultural research station near Okehampton because of a reduction in income from government contracts. The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER), which has a site at North Wyke in addition to its main base in Wales, announced the ?loss of a significant number of jobs? last week. IGER say their intention is to keep redundancies at a minimum, but are estimating a loss of at least 40 jobs in all, affecting both research leaders and support staff. The chances are the bulk of the redundancies are likely to fall in Wales, though jobs in Devon are also at risk. The institute is facing a significant reduction in income from one of its major customers Defra. Senior management at the institute have informed staff of a potential £2-million shortfall in income in the next financial year, following a near £1-million loss of Defra-anticipated income in the coming year. Professor Chris Pollock, IGER?s director, said: ?I obviously regret strongly that these steps are necessary. ?I shall do everything I can to minimise the impact on both staff and our research programme, but we need to act quickly if the institute is to remain financially and scientifically sustainable.? He said there had been a significant reduction in funding for research in sustainable farming and food within Defra and that had impacted on the award of new contracts for research in animal science to IGER, where a number of large projects were finishing in 2006. While he was sure that some new income would be won during the year, he did not think that the full amount of the current projected deficit could be recovered from other sources. IGER, which has an annual turnover of £17-million, employs a total of 290 staff and has headquarters at Aberystwyth, in Wales, with three outstations, two of them in Wales and the other at North Wyke, where about half the staff are employed. Discussions are continuing with trade union representatives, with redundancies likely to take place this summer.
