FOOD SECURITY

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (16:02): I rise on quite a serious matter. Today, I want to raise the importance of research and development in agriculture in order for humans to keep on top of the new threats to our crops. Food security is being raised as a major concern around the world, and I spoke about my concerns relating to food security in Australia prior to the winter break in this house.

In its submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Rural Research and Development Corporations this year, the South Australian Grain Industry Trust (SAGIT) deplored the reductions in commonwealth and state government investments in agricultural research, development and extension—extension being that process whereby the results of research and development are communicated to farmers in a way that they see the advantages and therefore adopt them.

SAGIT outlined the importance of state and commonwealth investment, stating that, while neither state nor federal governments make a direct cash contribution to SAGIT, their continued investment in core capacity is nevertheless essential. SAGIT relies on the state government, especially to fund the core capacity of such things as research stations, laboratories and expert staff. The member for Hammond has highlighted this many times in this house.

It is of considerable concern to SAGIT that state governments are cutting their budget allocations to agricultural activities, especially RD&E. With the state budget on Thursday, we certainly hope that we do not see further cuts to this vital work. SAGIT's submission to the Productivity Commission also states:

In fact at national and state level one could be excused for thinking that governments regard agriculture as a sunset industry which is no longer worthy of investment.

I find this comment very disturbing in light of the current threats to agriculture across the world and, indeed, here in South Australia. For instance, as just one example, last year I attended a private conference in Kenya, where the pandemic of wheat stem rust was discussed. Wheat stem rust is amongst the most serious diseases of wheat worldwide and represents a major, immediate threat to wheat and barley production in the East Africa and near east regions.

In the 1950s, 40 per cent of America's wheat crop was wiped out by stem rust, and this prompted a new form of international cooperation among wheat scientists worldwide. This cooperation, spearheaded by Nobel Laureate wheat scientist Norman Borlaug, developed wheat varieties that resisted stem rust for more than four decades.

According to an article in Science Daily of 28 May 2010, ironically the very success of the wheat scientists' work eventually led to complacency. In the 1990s, for instance, the United States had only one scientist with expertise in stem rust, just before the discovery in 1999 of a very, very virulent new race of stem rust in Uganda (hence, now named Ug99)—and you are going to hear about that a lot more.

Before his death last year, Borlaug drew the world's attention to the threat that this emerging pathogen poses to world food security, and he warned of its newfound ability to overcome the resistance that had kept stem rust at bay for more than 40 years. Four new mutations of Ug99 have overcome existing sources of genetic resistance developed to safeguard the world's wheat crop. The variant of Ug99 identified in Kenya, for example, went from first detection in trace amounts in one year to epidemic proportions the next year.

Ug99 threatens to spread into other wheat-producing regions of Africa and Asia, and potentially the entire world. Most at risk is South Asia, which produces 20 per cent of the world's wheat for a population of 1.4 billion people. While we can afford to use chemical tools to deal with stem rust here in Australia, in poorer countries the cost of chemical control is prohibitive for most farmers, whereas the direct costs of growing resistant varieties in the developing world are zero.

It is also better for us to grow disease resistant crops rather than relying too much on chemicals. In the case of these stem rust variants, once they take on epidemic proportions, even chemicals are of limited use. Wheat scientists and farmers alike are now mobilising to identify and fight the virulent new forms of Ug99, and it is encouraging to know that researchers are collaborating around the globe on this.

Getting back to a more grassroots level here in South Australia, I refer back to the South Australian Grain Industry Trust's statement to the Productivity Commission, as follows:

At national and state level, one could be excused for thinking that governments regard agriculture as a sunset industry which is no longer worthy of investment.

Research and development in agriculture must not be relegated to a sunset industry; there is too much at risk. On Thursday, when the budget is presented, I very much hope that the money for research in this area is increased, not decreased.