Plant and Food cutbacks risk future business opportunities

6 March, 2012

Plant and Food cutbacks risk future business opportunities

As more public scientists are sent packing the union that represents them says the Government’s funding model is stifling innovation.

“The Government keeps looking to industry to fork up more for research, but New Zealand has one of the worst records in the OECD for industry-backed research, so as soon as the hard times hit, our public scientists are shown the door,” says Public Service Association National Secretary Richard Wagstaff.

The comments follow news that up to 25 scientists at Plant and Food Research could lose their jobs. Nearly half of the institute’s $113 million income comes from commercial contracts and royalties, but a difficult economic climate that has seen industry funds cut back.

“It’s a perennial problem getting industry to pay its fair share for research in this country. AgResearch lost 36 scientists and had to shut down most of the country’s remaining wool research because neither farmers nor the Government were willing to pay for the work.

“Research that supports our primary industries is too important to leave to the vagaries of the market. Once these experts are sent packing they’ll look for opportunities overseas and be lost to New Zealand science for ever.

“You can’t always predict your future research needs and cutting back capacity now could mean paying a heavy price in some areas later.

“Plant and Food Research has been doing tremendous work in response to the kiwifruit vine disease Psa.

“Efforts have been put into identifying good management strategies and developing new cultivars that might have resistance to the disease. If these researchers had been thrown on the scrapheap two years ago the industry’s future could have looked a whole lot bleaker right now.

“Innovation in this same area led to the creation of the golden kiwi which brought a new lease of life to the New Zealand industry at a time when it was suffering fierce competition from other markets around the world.

“Sacking scientists means these literally golden discoveries may remain lost business opportunities,” says Richard Wagstaff.

ENDS

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