Executive summary

Australian Pork Limited (APL) and the Pork CRC have worked in collaboration to ensure that pork research, development and extension (R,D&E) is focussed, efficient and delivers outcomes in a timely manner to ensure that the Australian pork industry is competitive, productive and sustainable. This collaboration between APL and the Pork CRC has ensured that there is no duplication of R,D&E programs and activities. The recently held three year review for the Pork CRC determined that “the linkage between the Pork CRC and APL has led to major benefits for the programs of both organisations without leading to duplication in programs”.

That is not to say that challenges for the future of R,D&E for the pork industry do not exist. The Australian pork industry, like a number of other agricultural industries, is facing a potentially acute and unprecedented decline in research and development, human and physical infrastructure support services.

To ensure the increased alignment and coordination of the various pork R,D&E programs, APL and the Pork CRC, in conjunction with the various government, university & industry R,D&E stakeholders, have developed a comprehensive National Pork R,D&E Strategy that comprises a number of important components:

Pork R,D&E Facilities:

1) Focus resources into fewer but better funded facilities (‘experimental ready’) that are critical to meeting the current and future needs of the industry; and
2) Provide certainty for these facilities by base funding them on a rolling two year basis.

Pork R,D&E Programs:

3) Move from a project by project basis to a coordinated “National Program” approach; and
4) Enhance the development and retention of appropriate human resources and skills.

The National Pork R,D&E Strategy will enhance the range of collaboration and resources across the pork R,D&E portfolio including the development and delivery of core research programs and outcomes to meet both sectoral and cross-sectoral strategic objectives in an efficient and timely manner. The National Pork R,D&E Strategy will:

• Allow the pork industry to develop and maintain appropriate infrastructure and facilities for both pork and other cross-sectoral R,D&E programs
• strengthen the pork industry R,D&E capability and sustainability through the development of a coordinated program approach alongside these dedicated facilities
• enable the pork industry to demonstrate the effectiveness of delivering core research programs that meet the industry and government strategic priorities
• enhance the identification, attraction and championing of students and post-doctoral fellows to allow the pork industry’s human capacity to build sustainably
• ensure international relevance through the development of more formal linkages with appropriate leading edge R&D providers
• encourage the use of secondments, collaborative research programs to ensure that scientists have better access to international developments and
• further enhance the rapid uptake of R,D&E outcomes through increased involvement of industry, state governments and university R,D&E stakeholders.

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