Pollination Australia
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Pollination Australia Research and Development Priorities Michael Clarke April 2008 RIRDC Publication No 08/055 RIRDC Project No PRJ-002582 © 2008 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 1 74151 275 1 ISSN 1440-6845 Pollination Australia: Research and development priorities Publication No 08/055 Project No. PRJ-002582 The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. You must not rely on any information contained in this publication without taking specialist advice relevant to your particular circumstances. While reasonable care has been taken in preparing this publication to ensure that information is true and correct, the Commonwealth of Australia gives no assurance as to the accuracy of any information in this publication. The Commonwealth of Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, RIRDC, the authors or contributors. The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication. This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the RIRDC Publications Manager on phone 02 6271 4165. Researcher Contact Details Michael Clarke AgEconPlus Pty Ltd 44 Barons Crescent Hunters Hill NSW 2110 Phone: 02 9817 5888 Fax: 02 9816 4840 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.AgEconPlus.com.au RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, Pharmacy Guild House 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6271 4100 Fax: 02 6271 4199 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in April 2008 ii Foreword This report is the result of a consultancy which aimed to establish research and development (R&D) priorities for ‘Pollination Australia’, an industry alliance between the honeybee industry, as providers of pollination services, and those horticultural and agricultural industries, which are dependent on honeybee pollination. The project objective was to ensure effective investment in R&D projects to secure horticulture and agriculture’s ongoing access to reliable, consistent quality and cost effective pollination services without which many Australian rural industries would not be productive. The need for well organised and structured R&D priorities has its genesis at the Honeybee Industry Linkages workshop in Canberra in April 2007. The workshop was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) under its Advancing Agricultural Industries Program (Advancing Industries) and by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). The workshop was attended by stakeholders across a range of pollination and pollination dependent industries. At the workshop, the pollination industry agreed to form an entity known as ‘Pollination Australia’, prepare a business plan for that entity and complete three linked consultancies to inform the business plan. The additional consultancies to this R&D priorities report included a risk management assessment and an education and training strategy for the pollination industry. Advancing Industries and RIRDC are providing support for the formation of the industry alliance and for the development and endorsement of a business plan. The purpose of this document is to provide stakeholders with background information on what R&D is being done on the pollination industry, possible needs and knowledge gaps and a prioritised list of R&D projects. A brief review of the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of R&D funding models is also provided. This report has been prepared as part of a project for the Australian Government’s Advancing Agricultural Industries Program and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. This report, an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1800 research publications, forms part of our Honeybee R&D program, which aims to improve the productivity and profitability of the Australian beekeeping industry. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: • downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/index.html • purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop Peter O’Brien Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Abbreviations AFB American Foulbrood AHA Animal Health Australia AHBIC Australian Honeybee Industry Council AHGA Australian Hydroponic and Greenhouse Association ARRIP Australian Rural Research in Progress EADRA Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement EFB European Foulbrood CCD Colony Collapse Disorder CIE Centre for International Economics CPI Consumer Price Index CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation DAFF Australian Government Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries DPI Department of Primary Industries FSANZ Food Standards Australia New Zealand GM Genetically modified GVP Gross Value of Production IAPV Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus KPI Key Performance Indicator MoU Memorandum of Understanding MRL Minimum Residue Level NLIS National Livestock Identification System NZ New Zealand OTC oxytetracycline hydrochloride pa per annum PBR Plant Breeders Rights PIBs Peak Industry Bodies PHA Plant Heath Australia QA Quality Assurance R&D Research and Development RDC Research and Development Corporation RIRDC Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation SIAA Seed Industry Association of Australia SME Small to Medium Enterprises US United States of America iv Acknowledgments The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of RIRDC and the Pollination Australia Steering Committee. In particular we wish to thank the following individuals for their assistance with the project: • Des Cannon, Chair RIRDC Honeybee R&D Advisory Committee • Lindsay Burke, Honeybee Quarantine and Disease Specialist, Tasmania • Stephen Fewster, Chairman, AHBIC • Stephen Ware, Executive Director, AHBIC • Max Whitten, Adjunct Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Qld • Dr Paul de Barro, CSIRO • Dr Denis Anderson, CSIRO • Doug Somerville, NSW DPI • Gerald Martin, PIRSA • Julie Haslett, Almond Board of Australia • Warwick Scherf and Kim James, HAL • Tanya Stacpoole and Damien Bond, DAFF • Greg Martin, Dr Jenny Gordon, CIE • Michael Monck and Dr George Reeves, CIE • David Brous and Rob Keogh, Impact Consulting • Mark Goodwin, HortResearch New Zealand • Margie Thomson and Lea Edwards, RIRDC v Contents Foreword............................................................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations........................................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................................. v Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... viii What the report is about ................................................................................................................... viii Who is the report targeted at?........................................................................................................... viii Background ...................................................................................................................................... viii Aims/objectives................................................................................................................................ viii Methods used...................................................................................................................................... ix Results/key findings ........................................................................................................................... ix Implications for relevant stakeholders................................................................................................. x Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... x 1. Study purpose .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives...................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Conceptual framework ..................................................................................................................... 2 PART 1:WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CURRENT POLLINATION INDUSTRY ........ 4 3. Profile and importance of honeybee pollination to