SLU Götala Beef and Lamb Research Centre is SLU’s research facility for beef and lamb meat production. Also applied on-farm trials with cattle and sheep for meat production are conducted. Götala offers researchers and industry representatives a unique environment for conducting varying types of studies.
SLU Götala Beef and Lamb Research Centre offers controlled environments of the complete food chain from field to fork, including control of the leys and pasture, forage conservation, animal rearing, slaughter, cutting and equipment to measure meat characteristics. Projects conducted at Götala deal with production systems where, for example, feeding strategies, pasture types, environmental aspects, animal welfare, production economy and meat quality are investigated.
SLU Götala Beef and Lamb Research Centre is situated two kilometers from SLU's campus in Skara in south-western Sweden. Section of Production Systems, Department of Animal Environment and Health, SLU in Skara, is responsible for maintenance of the animal facilities, whereas another part at SLU manages the crop cultivation.
There are two cattle barns and one sheep barn at the farm, holding 150 cattle and 100 sheep. There is equipment for automatically recorded individual data on feed intake and animal weight. During 2017-2018 a new cattle barn was constructed as well as an insulated wash station, straw storage, forage laboratory, and cold and freezing rooms.
SLU Götala Beef and Lamb Research Centre welcomes study visits after agreement with the staff. Please contact farm manager Jonas Dahl for study visits, phone +46 (0)511 67127.
Researchers at SLU and external scientists interested in conducting projects in cooperation with SLU or as commissioned research at SLU Götala Beef and Lamb Research Centre are welcome to contact research coordinator Anna Hessle, phone +46 (0)511 67143.
Head of department: Anna Wallenbeck, telephone +46 18-674504.
Deputy head of department: Anders Karlsson, telephone +46 511-67210.
Director of Postgraduate Studies: Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist, telephone +46 511-67144.
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Lisa Lundin, telephone +46 18-671650.