Roseworthy headquarters for $81.5m pork industry centre

Wednesday, 22 December 2004

The University of Adelaide's Roseworthy Campus will become the national headquarters for an $81.5 million Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry.

Its major objective will be to reduce production costs and increase demand for quality pork and niche products.

The University, meanwhile, is also involved with two additional agriculturally-related Cooperative Research Centres - the CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies and the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity. The total national investment is approximately $117 million and $65 million respectively.

These announcements follow grants awarded this week for world-class research and innovation under the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, the Hon Rory McEwen, said the seven-year Pork CRC will be based at Roseworthy campus where its core participants, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the University of Adelaide, will run programs in pig nutrition and reproduction.

"This is a significant reflection of the growing national profile of the Pig and Poultry Institute formed by SARDI, the University of Adelaide, PIRSA and the Australian Pig and Poultry Industry at the Roseworthy Campus in 1996," he said.

Dr Dean Revell, from the School of Agriculture and Wine in the Faculty of Sciences, was instrumental in the negotiations to ensure that the Pork CRC would be based at Roseworthy. Dr Revell said the successful bid to establish a Pork CRC is clearly terrific news for the industry and Roseworthy.

Professor Phil Hynd, Director of Roseworthy Campus, said: "The University and SARDI combined forces through the Livestock Systems Alliance, and we are delighted the headquarters of the new CRC will be based at Roseworthy. This will provide national focus, lots of activity and help reinforce Roseworthy as a key centre for livestock science in Australia."

"The new CRC for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry is a genuine whole-of-industry venture, with the full spectrum of the industry supporting the bid and enthusiastic about the opportunities that we now have," he said.

Other participants in the project are Australian Pork Farms Group, Australian Pork Limited, Murdoch University, New Zealand Pork Industry Board, QAF Meat Industries Pty Ltd, The CHM Alliance and the University of Sydney.

Key elements of the Pork CRC research program include:

Program 1: To secure more reliable and consistent protein and energy supplies in pig diets via innovative grain and pulse production and quality assessment methods.
Program 2: To optimise herd feed conversion efficiency through enhanced health, metabolic efficiency and reproductive capacity.
Program 3: To enhance the value and versatility of pork products.
Program 4: Pork Industry capacity building.

Research and development conducted by the CRC for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry will result in reduced production costs for high-quality pork through more reliable and consistent protein and energy supplies via innovative grain production and through improved herd feed conversion efficiency.

The demand for niche Australian pork products will be increased as a result of an enhanced capacity to deliver nutrients that promote the health and wellbeing of consumers via consumption of pork and pork products. This will ultimately lead to improved confidence and investment resulting in the growth of the Australian pork industry.

Other CRCs:

Meanwhile, Faculty of Sciences researchers Dr Cindy Bottema and Dr Wayne Pitchford, based at the Roseworthy campus, are involved with the successful CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies and aim to determine the genes that are responsible for feed efficiency and meat quality in cattle.

The CRC for National Plant Biosecurity involves researchers from the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus Professor John Randles and Professor Otto Schmidt. This CRC aims to counteract the impact of emerging plant pests and diseases through the application of new technology and by integrating approaches across agencies and jurisdictions.

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