Press Release

The Pastoralists and Graziers’ Association has urged national wool leaders to avert an industry funding crisis by including an “R & D Option only” in the forthcoming 2009 WoolPoll.

PGA Wool Chairman Digby Stretch wrote to the AWI Board and to the WoolPoll 2009 Committee today warning there was a real possibility of a large woolgrower vote to remove the funding levy.

“We are aware of many growers who did not vote in the 2008 AWI Board election who are now dismayed at the strong marketing push being taken by AWI.”

“There is now a serious risk that the funding levy options will be confined to marketing and if this occurs Industry Research and Development as we know it would end.”

“Politics and the uncertainty of funding in our industry have already resulted in an exodus of scientists and researchers over the past decade.  Wool is not an industry that can ride on the coat tails of international research efforts.  If it doesn’t happen in Australia, it probably will not happen at all.”

Mr Stretch said the PGA believed that the option of a 1% “R & D” only model, which would retain matching Government R & D funds, was the only way the WoolPoll 2009 Committee might encourage woolgrowers to support continuing the levy.

“We understand that this option does not reflect the support of the current AWI Board for a swing from R & D to marketing, but we are urging WoolPoll to give our proposal serious consideration, because the consequences of removing the levy are enormous.”