AgResearch blamed for job cuts proposal

Wool farmers' failure to support research and development has contributed to 43 planned job cuts at AgResearch, departing chief executive Andrew West says.

The country's largest Crown research institute (CRI) yesterday announced a proposal to cut 43 jobs, including 15 at AgResearch's Lincoln offices, because of financial problems.

Scientific, technical and support staff at AgResearch, which employs about 1000 staff, were told yesterday about the cuts.

Job losses are also proposed in the non-possum reproductive biology, plant protection, dairy foods, food safety, bio-materials, protein and structure, and weed ecology research teams.

West, who will finish on June 30, hit out at the lack of support from the wool industry for AgResearch's research and development (R&D) and blamed the likely cuts to Lincoln's textile science team on the industry for voting against a wool levy to fund work.

"Revenue has come down really fast. Australian and New Zealand wool farmers have moved away from funding all research at an alarming rate," he said.

Others at Lincoln might lose their jobs, West said.

He said the organisation would listen to staff and unions about the proposed cuts.

"But there has to be downsizing here. We cannot afford to run a cost structure like we have now," he said.

"Without cuts, the institute will go broke eventually, and then everyone will lose their jobs."

Final decisions would be made by mid-April, he said.

Public Service Association national secretary Richard Wagstaff said the restructuring was at odds with Prime Minister John Key's sentiments that public science should be considered an investment in the country's future. "Agricultural research and innovation are central to New Zealand's economic wellbeing. If AgResearch is not safe from the Government's scalpel, what hope is there for the rest of science in New Zealand and for our highly skilled and internationally sought-after scientists?" he said.

Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Bruce Wills said there was "no question" agriculture needed good R&D.

"To be frank, farmers for decades poured money into industry-good activities with wool. Where did it get farmers? Ever lower prices," he said.