ADAS (company)

ADAS is a UK-based independent agricultural and environmental consultancy and provider of rural development and policy advice. ADAS provides independent science-based research, consultancy and contracting services to a wide range of organisations in both the private and public sectors, throughout the UK and internationally.

History
The UK's National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAAS) was established in 1946 as the advisory and research arm of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) due to harsh food rationing of World War II that continued in the UK into the early 1950s. Plant pathology, entomology, soil and other specialist advisers throughout the country advised farmers and growers how to maximise their output.

The NAAS was rebranded as ADAS in 1971. In 1992, ADAS became an Executive Agency of MAFF until the business was privatised in 1997. A collection of drainage tiles used in underground water management were donated to The Museum of English Rural Life in 1994.

In 2016 the business, operating assets and employees of ADAS were acquired by environmental consultancy, RSK Group.

Company Info
ADAS operates from 16 principal sites throughout the UK. The business employs over 400 staff on permanent or fixed-term contracts and calls on a further 250 on contingent terms.

ADAS has a large number of customers in the UK and abroad. These range from small rural enterprises to major corporations, government departments, and agencies.

Some previous projects include:


 * Developing a stud farm carbon calculator for the Thoroughbred Breeders Association (November 2023).
 * Investigating shelf-life extension options for tomatoes in Nigeria (March 2023)
 * Developing an integrated pest management (IPM) tool to help farmers create crop specific IPM plans
 * Creating a carbon calculator for the horticulture sector