Temora Agricultural Research and Advisory Station

Mr ADRIAN PICCOLI (Murrumbidgee) [7.49 p.m.]: I rise to speak about the Department of Primary Industries agriculture station at Temora. I refer particularly to the oat breeding program conducted at the field station at Temora. There has been some discussion about the future of the program since the current oat breeder, Mr Glen Roberts, announced his retirement a little while ago. Concerns were expressed that the winter breeding trials might be terminated at the end of 2008 to coincide with his retirement, and that has been pretty well confirmed. The Temora Agricultural Research and Advisory Station has bred high-quality wheat and oat varieties for the State's growers for over 75 years and it is a major component of New South Wales Agriculture's bred wheat program.

The ravages of the drought that we have endured for many years mean that it is now essential that varieties continue to be bred and trialled at Temora so that they can be refined not only for conditions that prevail at Temora but for those in the whole of the Western Riverina. With oats considered one of the healthiest cereals available to combat cholesterol, it seems unbelievable that the department is content to see oat breeding cease at Temora. The breeding program there is the only publicly funded program in New South Wales. The Temora Shire Council and the community have sought advice on the continuation of these programs. There is a feeling that it is essential that these crops continue to be bred and trialled at Temora to ensure that varieties are available to provide the best option for the farming community in Temora shire and across the State.

The Department of Primary Industries a few days ago issued a statement to say that the Temora Agricultural Research and Advisory Station would not be closed. Whilst I appreciate that it will not close for the time being, the value of stations such as Temora is dependent on the activities that are undertaken there. If we do not have an oat breeding program there and other grain breeding programs throughout the grain belt in Western New South Wales we will lose a great asset that this State has had for well over 100 years. If we are not breeding grains in the areas in which they are to grow and are instead relying on trials conducted in greenhouses in Canberra, the United States and Europe we will not get the varieties we need that are particularly relevant to our weather conditions. The varieties of grains that grow well in central and northern New South Wales do not necessarily grow well in the Riverina or in Victoria. We need site-specific trials and breeding of these different grain varieties.

With all the talk about world food shortages I think it is very unfortunate that over the past couple of decades grain breeding and the emphasis on research and development in agriculture have declined, particularly in western New South Wales. We will come to regret the downgrading of facilities at places such as Temora, Yanco and Deniliquin—two are in the Murrumbidgee electorate and Deniliquin used to be in my electorate—particularly Yanco with the TAFE training that was undertaken there, because of the world food shortages and the changes in climate being experienced across New South Wales. I can only call on the Department of Primary Industries to reconsider the funding cuts to all the agricultural research stations, but particularly the three in my electorate. I call on the department to reinstate some of the breeding programs so that we can continue to support our farmers to be the world's best in the growing and production of wheat and other grains.