By Gianina Schwanecke
Sheep grazing in Waikato, New Zealand (file photo) Photo: 123rf
Farmers and leaders in the primary sector have shared their concerns with the Minister of Science about cuts to science roles at AgResearch in an open letter.
A review of science areas at the government-owned research institute has seen seven staff opt for voluntary redundancy and about 40 roles in total affected with one area of science - animal biotechnology - being discontinued altogether.
Leaders from groups such as Wormwise, Federated Farmers and the New Zealand Veterinary Association wrote to Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Shane Reti - who was appointed to the portfolio last month following a Cabinet reshuffle - highlighting the potential impacts of the cuts, particularly the loss of AgResearch's parasitology team.
"This is an area that needs immediate attention to safeguard farm productivity, animal welfare, and the broader economic contributions of our rural sector," the letter read.
Wormwise programme manager Ginny Dodunski was not surprised by the decision to close AgResearch's parasitology team but said it was "very disappointing".
She said there were still gaps in our understanding of drench resistance, which left livestock vulnerable to parasites, both in sheep and increasingly in cattle. Other parasites like lungworm were also increasingly becoming an issue as temperatures rise.
"The AgResearch parasitology team are responsible for what is internationally some of the best recognised work on drench resistance which has really set up the guidelines that Wormwise use to give farmers good research-backed information on managing drench resistance."
Parasitology was a small area of focus within New Zealand and the loss of the AgResearch team made it more vulnerable, Dodunski said,
East Coast veterinarian John Meban was also upset by the "mindboggling" decision to cut AgResearch's parasitology team.
He said their work was important in addressing issues like drench resistance, which had only become worse in his 30 years of practice.
Drench resistance had reduced primary sector productivity and also carried significant climate change and animal welfare related implications, Meban said.
The job losses come after the government announced last month Crown Research Institutes would be merged.
However, AgResearch chief executive Sue Bidrose said the review was already ongoing prior to this announcement.
Due to a lack of funding, and little prospect of new funding, changes were being made to some areas, she said.
They were trying to retrain and redeploy staff to other areas to avoid job losses, she said.
AgResearch, which employs around 600 people, cut 25 full time science support roles last year following financial losses.
In a statement, Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Shane Reti said it was important organisations "operate within their means".
"I expect the Boards of Crown Research Institutes to manage their organisations in a financially sustainable way, while delivering quality science that will grow our economy. Sometimes this will mean tough decisions, but ultimately these decisions are a matter for the board."
He said he was aware that AgResearch had been working to align its science work to a "more constrained economic environment", including consulting with its staff on the organisation's priorities and discussing funding options with the sector.
Reti said he looked forward to hearing the outcome of those conversations.
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