LANCASTER Environment Centre has appointed a director to its new Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.

Professor Felix Wackers began work last month at the centre which aims to couple cutting-edge research with a practical focus on environmental challenges facing the farming industry.

Dutch-born Prof Wackers specialises in plant-insect interactions and has applied his knowledge to researching biological pest control as an alternative to chemical pesticides. He has also looked into the impact of landscape structure on agriculture.