LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:13): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture a question about developments for graziers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: At this time of year, as the pastures in regional and rural areas dry off, graziers may be looking for supplementary feed for their livestock. Can the minister tell the chamber about developments in alternative feeds to help support livestock?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:14): I thank the member for his most important question. I am very pleased to be able to tell the chamber that researchers are continuing to assist farmers in finding new and innovative ways to manage livestock, including through new feed sources.

One of the strategies used by some graziers is the use of Australian native shrubs. This is particularly the case for some of the mixed properties which can gain an economic and environmental advantage from this practice. There are now financial incentives to introduce perennial plants. Under a program managed by the Coorong and Tatiara Local Action Plan, farmers can tap into expertise on the topic, I should say, with advice and guidance from Dr Jason Emms, a senior scientist with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). Dr Emms is the senior research officer on the Future Farm Industries CRC's Enrich program, which is identifying a range of native shrubs best suited to shrub-based grazing systems across Australia.

Dr Emms will be providing advice about the grants for introducing alternative fodder shrub species available in South Australia's Upper South-East. Graziers in the Coorong-Tatiara region of South Australia can apply for funding, including assistance to plant demonstration sites of fodder shrubs such as saltbush, under the federal government's Caring for our Country funded program. Using native species could potentially lift whole-farm profits and demonstrates the impressive capabilities of South Australian scientists. It is a great way to tap into available resources, such as native shrubs, to boost farm production while encouraging biodiversity on farms.

The Enrich research has found adding native perennial forage shrubs to the menu in mixed livestock and cropping systems can lift profits by up to 20 per cent, while contributing to sustainable land management across southern Australia. Work so far has found a range of positive reasons to plant fodder shrubs in the Coorong and Tatiara districts. Saltbushes, emu bush and other alternative fodder shrub species can be used to help fill the autumn feed gap, better use marginal land and create a feed reserve during drought conditions. In addition, these species help to reduce groundwater recharge and the risk of erosion and obviously offer wind protection for stock as well.

The project is spreading awareness about other attributes of using Australian perennial plants in grazing systems, including their potential to raise whole-farm profits and the efficiency of production, as well as to reduce emission intensity. Economic modelling through the Enrich project, which commenced in 2005, found planting 10 per cent of a typical WA central wheat belt property to native forage shrubs could lift whole-farm profits by 15 to 20 per cent, from about $102 per hectare to $117 per hectare.