SGS’s UK crop science team moves to Warwickshire

In October 2021, the SGS UK Crop Science team moved into a new central location in Warwickshire, providing easier access to the rest of the country.

This new location ensures the team is well placed to work on a wide range of crops and undertake biostimulant and seed care trials, as well as traditional contract trials work.

The New Location

The new location provides easy access to commercially grown cereal, horticultural and ornamental crops, and the network of contacts enables us to find specific disease, weed and pest targets to ensure the clients obtain the data required for product development. The facility itself boasts a variety of modern drilling, spraying and harvesting machines as well as a large storage capacity for other equipment. What’s more, it’s located close to the Warwick Crop Centre at Wellesbourne, Warwick University’s Innovation Campus. SGS has a history of collaboration with this campus, and access to its extensive facilities could be granted for specific projects, extending the scope of SGS’s services.

What The New Facility Offers

SGS’s new Warwickshire site offers a full range of services for all organizations involved in crop science.

In addition to offering core selectivity, efficacy and residue trials for plant protection products under both GEP and GLP disciplines, in the coming season the site will have a focus on biostimulant and seed care trials. Drilling-related services are also offered across the country as normal. The site’s staff combine significant experience in undertaking biostimulant and biocontrol product trials with an innovation-centric mindset. For instance, over the past few years, SGS has used drones and novel sensors for supplementary and exploratory data collection – demonstrating the team’s willingness to experiment with innovative approaches and tools.

The site is embedded in the global network of SGS field trials. It directs studies in accordance with GEP and its program management services and analytical laboratory services in the areas of residue testing, ecotoxicology and product chemistry comply with the principles of GLP. The UK facility is supported by the Crop Science seed lab in Driffield which is able to undertake fast-track seed analysis locally and internationally to support individuals, organizations or Pan-EU projects.

Why SGS

SGS is the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. SGS has a wealth of experience in contract trials research and have successfully completed more than 2,500 trials in the UK alone. The operations are GEP- and GLP-accredited. The team is able to work with a wide variety of crops under a range of conditions, using multiple application techniques, and has practical experience in working with biostimulants as a spray or a seed treatment.