Forage group partners with management firm

The Forage Analysis Assurance Group has appointed the Agricultural Industries Confederation Services to manage the group and its services.

The FAA Group comprises laboratories and companies working in the area of forage analysis in the UK and Republic of Ireland. It is the quality control governing body for laboratories analysing forages.

John Kelley, chair of 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. Forage analysis is continually developing and the FAA are looking to lead of forage analysis for the livestock sector.”

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 provide the chair and technical secretariat to the group and is coordinating development of a new website reporting system and communications within the group. 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.