FEARS have been mounting over the future of the Hamilton SmartFarm research centre on Mount Napier Road, amid concerns of further staff and funding cuts in agricultural research and development (R&D).

In the absence of a commitment from the State Government, farmers have been worried that critical red meat research at the multimillion-dollar centre would cease altogether.

The government has already cut 109 jobs in Agriculture Victoria (AV) due to a restructure of the Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions (DJPR), as well as cutting $47.8 million in funding from its budget.

The Hamilton SmartFarm site is host to the Red Meat Innovation Centre which was established by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) in 2012 by the Hon Peter Walsh, then the Agriculture minister.

Now in opposition and the Shadow Agriculture minister, Mr Walsh said that there are almost more people in the Premier’s own department than there are in what was once the Department of Agriculture.

He said farmers were right to be concerned about the government’s motives and called on Agriculture minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, to immediately confirm the Hamilton SmartFarm site was safe.

However, a Victorian Government spokesperson responded to the concerns and said there is no truth to The Nationals’ claim that the future of the Hamilton Smart Farm is in doubt.

“Peter Walsh’s attempt to re-write history ignores the fact that he was the Agriculture minister responsible for cutting hundreds of jobs and shutting down offices right around regional Victoria,” the spokesperson said.

“Only Labor has made record investments in agriculture, with $3 billion provided under the Andrews Labor Government to support farmers and grow our food and fibre industry by almost a third to $17.8 billion.”

The Hamilton facility is home to ground-breaking work, including the long-term phosphate experiment which has transformed the understanding of livestock pasture nutrition since 1977.

South-west Victoria beef and lamb producer, Ben Young, said the region was losing its capacity to do red meat research.

“The more staffing levels are eroded, particularly in research, the facility’s capacity to do this research into the future will be vastly reduced,” he said.

“The centre has a state-of-the-art feed and methane research centre that could be conducting methane reduction and feed conversion work but is currently extremely underutilised in a time when methane reduction is front and centre of public concern.”

“Considering the great times we are experiencing in the red meat and dairy sectors currently, now would be a good time to invest more in this research that can improve animal health and welfare, increase food security, which the pandemic has brought into sharp focus, and enable us to capitalise on the potential of our high rainfall region.”

The location also supports the next generation of farmers and agriculture scientists through educational opportunities at the Rural Industry Skill Training (RIST) centre.

RIST centre chief executive, Bill Hamill, said that R&D was critical to the future of the agricultural industry.

“We have had a great relationship with Agriculture Victoria who make their facilities available to us, which we utilise for student training,” he said.

AV is responsible for delivering services to Victoria’s $17.8 billion food and fibre industry and works in partnership with farmers, industries, communities, and other government agencies to grow and secure agriculture in Victoria.

The fears come at the same time as the south-west of Victoria has claimed the top spot as Australia’s largest agricultural producer, including wool, dairy, livestock and horticulture contributing over $4.6 billion in production over the 2019-20 period.

However, as the agriculture industry is still recovering from impacts from the coronavirus pandemic and striving to bolster the Victorian economy, the job and budget cuts are widening gaps in services for the rural and regional community.

The Hamilton SmartFarm focuses on delivery of transformational impact in forage innovations for dairy and other livestock industries, cropping in the high rainfall zone, and red meat productivity.

The SmartFarm incorporates smart feeding systems to complement forage-based systems under variable seasons, using robotic and sensor technologies to measure pasture parameters such as pasture mass and nutritive value.

“The research at Hamilton is invaluable in driving advances to the productivity and profitability of farmers in Victoria and across the nation,” Mr Walsh said.

“But the city-centric Andrews Labor Government’s short-sighted agenda of cuts to agriculture research jobs and spending is threatening the future of decades of work.”

The Hamilton research site was established by the former Coalition government, which invested $3.5 million in 2012 for the Red Meat Innovation Centre.

Mr Walsh said the government should be investing more – not less – in agriculture research and development.

“The city-centric Andrews Labor Government has put agriculture R&D through the woodchipper, cutting scientist jobs and gutting the budget for trade and global engagement,” Mr Walsh said.

“Only a change in government in November will shift the focus back to supporting our farmers to work smarter and deliver a renewed focus on expanding into emerging markets in South-east Asia, India and Africa.”