A CARDIGAN professor and microbiologist has been given a top award for her work.

Sharon Huws, from Llangoedmor, near Cardigan, is a professor of animal sciences and microbiology at Queen’s University, Belfast, has been given the Sir John Hammond Award at the recent BSAS annual conference.

The farmer’s daughter has always had a keen interest in agriculture and livestock production due to her upbringing on the farm in Llangoedmor and went to university in 1994, where she began the more academic side of animal science microbiology.

At the end of March, she was given the Sir John Hammond Award for her work on improving the efficiency of livestock production through the use of microbiology.

“I still feel very shocked and I wonder how a girl from Cardigan can go on to win such an important award,” Sharon told the Tivyside Advertiser.

“I have done quite a lot of research on the agricultural sciences but I’ve never even won a raffle in the past so it was very nice to be recognised for that work.”

The work Sharon has been commended for began when she was doing her PHD in Manchester in 2000.

The work relates to the role gut microbes play in animal health and performance which has allowed for a better understanding of feed formulation and management.

Her work mainly involves sheep and cows, but has also involved poultry and pigs, with the aim of ensuring food security.

“We need to ensure we have enough products available for our health as the population grows,” she said.

“The population is going to be doubled by 2050 and we have limited land for agriculture as more land is needed for housing, so we have to look at ways of making agriculture more efficient.”

It is this, with looking into the gut microbes that Sharon has been able to see what the microbes are doing and how they can be used to improve both the health of the animal but also with humans too.

The Sir John Hammond Award is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to animal science.