Latest news with #ScottCollins
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Scientists make groundbreaking discovery that could solve major issue with modern agriculture: 'We've spent thousands of years breeding the animals'
The biggest source of methane, a heat-trapping gas that contributes to our warming planet, is, by and large, agriculture, which produces 3.55 billion tons of methane per year, according to Our World in Data. Methane produced by the digestive processes in the stomachs of livestock, such as cows, contributes a large part of this number. Scientists have been trying to solve this methane problem for years, and finally, a new American startup might just have an answer. Hoofprint Biome is an innovative startup created by Dr. Kathryn Polkoff, an animal scientist, and Dr. Scott Collins, a bioengineer. The startup has an almost glaringly obvious solution to reduce the methane that cows produce while improving the animals' bioavailability. When cows feed — typically on food that is hard for nonruminant animals, like humans, to digest — the food travels through the stomach's four-part compartment, first entering the largest of all, the rumen. Because of its capacity, the rumen stores ingested liquid and food for digestion, and it is also where the food becomes fermented by the microbes in the rumen. This fermentation process creates methane, along with other gaseous by-products, that becomes expelled through the cows' belching, or burping. In approaching the methane problem, the scientists studied the source of the methane production. "It's a very specific subset of microbes that are making the methane," said Polkoff, according to a TechCrunch article. These microbes steal any nutrients from the cow that have not yet been absorbed, creating methane gas. To address this, the scientists created probiotics and natural enzymes to suppress these microbes and limit methane production. These additives would help regulate the cows' microbiome while encouraging the production of beneficial bacteria in the stomach to enhance their nutrient absorption. According to TechCrunch, the startup aims to achieve a 5% feed efficiency that would help reduce the amount of heat-trapping gas emitted by the agricultural industry. Reducing planet-heating gas pollution improves air quality and human health while slowing the rise of global temperatures. The startup has garnered $15 million in investments alone in its first major round of funding. "We've spent thousands of years breeding the animals to make them as efficient as possible and to increase the yield, but there have not really been that many attempts to change a microbiome," Polk said, per TechCrunch. "That'd be like if you were engineering a car but had never changed the engine." Do you think gas stoves should be banned nationwide? No way Let each state decide I'm not sure Definitely Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Rumin8, an Australian startup, has created a similar methane-reducing supplement that also enhances milk production in dairy cows. Although limiting methane production from cow belching is progress for a cleaner and cooler planet, it is only one part of the equation. Reducing dependence on dairy can significantly cut down on the amount of methane that the agricultural industry produces. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- BBC News
Police officers encouraged to ditch Birmingham for Australia
Police officers are being encouraged to swap the streets of Birmingham for the sun-kissed beaches of places like Adelaide. Recruiters from South Australia Police are holding UK information sessions for those tempted by the switch and say they have been "overwhelmed" by the levels of interest. The force has an event in Birmingham on Wednesday, where they will urge experienced officers in the region to consider a new "adventure" down under. "The workload is nowhere near as what you have over here," said Ch Insp Scott Collins. "You can get back to some of that proactive policing and engaging with the community. That's what we joined for." Ch Insp Collins, who used to work with Thames Valley Police and is leading the recruitment drive, described it as an "incredible" lifestyle. "You can go to work, do the job that you love, finish work [and] go for a walk on the beach," he added. A campaign featuring the South Australia police commissioner in his swim shorts at a picturesque beach has already gone constable Oliver Lamb, from Dorset, said he fell in love with Australia after travelling its east coast. He explained he had "jumped at the opportunity" to join South Australia Police and it had been amazing. "The people are so friendly," he said. "The weather is fantastic, as we already know, and the way of life is something we all wish for." According to an advert for the information session, recruits are offered "competitive advantages", including a great salary and a permanent visa. They need to have three years of policing experience within the last five years, be under 45 and of good health. The Australian force wants to attract a total of 200 experienced officers from the UK, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand. Recruiters have already travelled to London and Cardiff and will head to Manchester and Glasgow after Birmingham. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Tax raid has made running my business ‘a f---ing struggle'
Scott Collins has just spent £1.2m on a brand new underground bar in Covent Garden. Named Bloodsports, 30 flat-screen TVs adorn its walls, playing a combination of live sports and classic 1980s horror movies, while beers and bar snacks are served late into the night. It is the kind of bar many could only dream of opening. So why is Collins, the co-founder of burger chain Meatliquor and one-time star of BBC Two's Million Pound Menu, so downbeat? Running bars and restaurants, he says, just isn't fun any more. Rather, it has become 'a f---ing struggle'. Collins signed the lease on Bloodsports last September. One month later, the Chancellor announced a swathe of tax rises on employers that kicked in earlier this month, heaping pressure on already-stretched hospitality firms. 'Had I known what the current financial climate was going to be like now, and the lack of consumer confidence, I wouldn't have bought this place,' says Collins. 'It was quite a tricky deal. It took a lot longer than expected, and since then the f------ world's got worse, which no one was expecting. So if I could turn back the clock, I wouldn't have done it. 'I can't see us making any money in the next financial year, and that's with opening a brand new site, so the coffers are empty.' Of greatest concern to Collins is the rise in employers' National Insurance (NI) contributions and the lowering of the threshold at which contributions are due, from £9,100 to £5,000. This, alongside a 6.7pc increase in the minimum wage, disproportionately hurts hospitality businesses because of the number of lower paid and part-time workers in the sector. 'We did our calculations in November, and just the National Insurance rise and the Living Wage rise – which then affects everyone being paid more that, because you can't not give everyone else a raise – we needed to find, as of April 1, an extra £300,000 per year,' says Collins. 'Things have got progressively worse' That is easier said than done when consumers are cutting back on dining out after years of inflation and uncertainty. Restaurant sales fell by 0.6pc in February, according to data firm CGA, while hospitality sales within the M25 fell further, slumping 1.2pc year-on-year. 'Lunch has just fallen off a cliff, and you're now up against everyone discounting, especially the groups that have private equity backing.' Collins is also facing pressure from suppliers who are attempting to pass the impact of the tax rises down the supply chain. 'Our big food supplier has just tried to pass on the 5pc uplift ... Everyone's trying to pass it on someone else. It's a never-ending story.' Ultimately, 'it would be a lot easier to just shut up shop,' he says. 'But we employ 220 people. We're not going to let them go.' Collins is the latest in a long line of boss to sound the alarm over the impact of October's Budget. Many have said they will have to cancel or pause investments and cut jobs as a result. In a move seemingly designed to placate them, ministers have promised to slash red tape and consult with hospitality bosses on ways to boost the sector. Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, will also be handed fresh powers to 'call in' blocked planning applications. Collins says this is all 'welcomed in theory, but it needs to be more than just a press release'. He does not say whether he backed Labour in last year's election, offering only a 'no comment'. Things were not easy under previous governments either, going as far back as the smoking ban in 2007, he says. 'Things have just got progressively worse. It's just laughable. There's no way I would be in this industry now if I'd had that all that laid in front of me 22 years ago when opening my first place, I don't think I could have done it.' 'One-stop fun shop' A 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Collins ran pubs before launching Meatliquor as a pop-up kitchen in south London in 2011 with co-founder Yianni Papoutsis. Since then it has grown into a 10-site chain that is credited with helping drive a renaissance in British burgers. 'The first Meatliquor was pretty bonkers,' he says. 'We had two-hour queues almost every night the week for about two years, and at the time, that was my biggest problem in life – how to manage the queues.' Meatliquor has endured while rival chains like Byron have been forced into restructuring and closures. Collins says this is because, unlike rivals, he never took private equity cash. These owners often load up their investments with debt to fund rapid expansion. However, high borrowing costs in the wake of the pandemic have hamstrung many of these businesses. 'A lot of people that have taken venture capital or private equity money are regretting that decision because they're just getting ground into the ground,' says Collins. 'We're fortunate. We've got very little debt.' Meatliquor is backed by a handful of investors, including David Page, the founder of Franco Manca and former boss of Pizza Express, without whose advice Collins says he would have 'probably thrown in the towel a long time ago'. Bloodsports, Collins' latest outing, is based on the dive bars found in the US. It serves Meatliquor's burgers, hot dogs and bar snacks such as deep fried mac and cheese, onion rings and chicken wings. Collins calls it 'a bit of a one-stop fun shop'. 'We get the theatregoers, the theatre workers, the performers. The ballerinas from the Royal Opera House are in here quite regularly.' But even getting the doors open at Bloodsports has been a battle. 'Just as we were about to sign [the lease], squatters moved in. The vendor was in Bali ... They came in like Die Hard. Police couldn't or wouldn't do anything. They were paid £15,000 cash to leave.' Problems persist: it has been burgled twice since opening in February. 'The first one was just an iPad, but did a bit of damage. The second one, they took a lot of booze.' Despite all of this, Collins remains a believer in the importance of pubs, bars and restaurants as part of the social fabric of the UK. 'We're a key pillar of the economy. We support jobs, communities, recovery,' he says. 'Hospitality brings people together. It's full of passion and potential. The red tape needs to be cut, the tax load needs to be eased, and then we can just do what we do best.'
