House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-01 Daily Xml

Contents

LIVESTOCK INDUSTRIES SUPPORT

534 Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15 September 2009). With reference to Budget paper 4, Volume 1, page 5.6 of the 2008-09 Budget regarding Targets for 2009-10—

(a) how does the department propose to support the development of value chain projects across the livestock industries

(b) will additional staff be required to provide this support;

(c) if that support is to be provided from existing staff resources, what other existing programs will be scaled back to accommodate that;

(d) what is the projected cost of this support for 2009-10; and

(e) will the cost of that support be passed on to producers and other sectors of the livestock industry?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development): I am advised:

1. The Department supports the development of livestock value chains in a number of key areas. Primarily this is achieved by establishing close relationships with the various sectors, developing an understanding of the common issues and the working together to capture the opportunity.

PIRSA is leading a Working Group established by the Primary Industries Ministerial Council to examine the potential of a value chain approach for improving agriculture productivity. A series of lamb industry case study Sustainable Value Chain Analyses (SVCA) will be conducted across lamb producing states. PIRSA will be conducting one of these SCVAs with a selected SA lamb value chain, as well as overseeing the overall project. This project will be a key to understanding and addressing road blocks that occur in value chains in regard to information and material flows and the building of relationships.

Department staff have also worked closely with poultry meat processors and growers to facilitate expansion in this industry.

2. Additional staff will not be required to provide this support.

3. The Department has a flexible and proactive team that are able to respond in partnership with industry to the issues and the opportunities at hand.

4. The costs to undertake value chain analysis vary greatly according to the size of the project, the scope of work undertaken and contribution of companies involved in the value chain.

5. Depending on the nature of the project and opportunity, there may be an opportunity for co-investment in areas of mutual benefit.