About SLU Campus Skara
The campus of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences(SLU) lies right in the middle of Skara. Here, there has been a focus on animals ever since 1775 when Peter Hernquist, a disciple of Linnaeus, started Sweden’s first educational courses for veterinary surgeons.
Today,research in Skara concerns animals and their health, behaviour,care and living environment. In-depth research is being performed in a number of interesting areas, such as animal emotions and means of communication, and also in ethical arenas, such as rearing and the importance of pet animals for human beings.
Main location
Skara is the smallest of SLU’s four main locations. Today, research and education is being pursued in four areas: industry-proximate foodstuffs expertise; animal husbandry and welfare; animal medical treatment and care; and, precision agriculture. The animal healthcare programme is one of the most sought-after within the university.
Two of SLU’s faculties conduct operations at SLU Skara: the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, and the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences.
The researchers investigate farm animals, such as cows, pigs and hens, in light of their accommodation, care, feeding, health, behaviour and protection, and also the outdoor environment. This research, just as educational courses on the Ethology and Animal Welfare Programme, is based on both healthy animals and animals with various kinds of diseases.
With the goal of reinforcing the economic sustainability of Swedish agriculture, our researchers work on improvements to crop yield and the quality of agricultural produce. This may take place, for example, with greater precision in cultivation, while at the same time ensuring that land resources are better utilised in environmentally friendly and resource-conserving manners.
Collaboration
SLU Skara collaborates closely with municipalities, regional authorities, commerce and industry, and anyone else who wishes to work together for positive development.
“Meny” forms a part of SLU Skara’s environmental investments, and is aimed at raising the level of expertise in small- and medium-sized food and biotechnology enterprises. Subjects like food safety, food quality, and the health impacts of foodstuffs lie at the centre of contemporaneous societal debate. Experiences of Meny’s web-based educational programmes are being exported throughout Europe.
The campus is lively and open. SLU Skara has many interesting partners, such as Agroväst, Green Tech Park, Advanced Vocational Education in Skara (Biologiska yrkeshögskolan), the “Blå Stjärnan” hospital for sick domestic animals, Sweden’s trotting organisation’s (ATG) hospital for horses and the Museum of Veterinary History.