Concerns over staff cuts at the Cowra Agricultural Research Station have been growing in the community but the government has attempted to dispel the claims as an attempt to unsettle the industry.

Following questions from this masthead, Lyndall Hilder, director of media, agriculture, fisheries and forestry issued a statement on the government’s position.

“The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has around 5000 people servicing our communities, farmers and producers, and the government is investing an historic $1.05 billion into biosecurity,” Ms Hilder said.

“Claims that the changed management plans for some parts of the department will weaken biosecurity or industry sectors are false and are attempts to unsettle industry.”

Hilder also highlighted additional funding that has been allocated to strengthen agricultural research in NSW.

“The government has also invested an extra $100 million into research and development following a review into the program by the former NSW chief scientist and engineer to modernise and strategically focus the state’s research program,” she said.

“The department is still in consultation with employees and relevant public sector unions.”

No official confirmation of staff cuts has been provided, but the local chatter alone is enough to generate unease in a community that sees the research station as both a vital economic driver and a symbol of agricultural progress.

At the August Cowra Council meeting, councillors voiced frustration over the lack of official communication and stressed the irreplaceable value of the station’s work to local and national agriculture.

Cowra Shire councillor Peter Wright explained just how important the station’s work has been for decades.

“I support what’s being done up to date,” Cr Wright said.

“I think even if we haven’t heard, we can still raise issues with the government and the minister about how important we place the research station in the Cowra Shire as part of our long-term plan to have a viable, active research station.

“It helps create employment, develops new initiatives, and supports the agricultural community.

“It’s served New South Wales, if not Australia, very well over a long period of time.”

Cr Wright recalled research carried out at the station, including a breeding program that produced high-fertility sheep, an innovation that benefitted producers across the state.

Beyond the immediate concerns about Cowra, Cr Wright also warned that staff morale across the Department of Agriculture was already low following previous restructures and redundancies.

“There’s been a very low morale within the Department regarding research and extensive work,” he said.

“We could lose good people simply because they don’t feel respected and worthwhile working for the government.”

Cr Wright further argued that cuts would be inconsistent with federal rhetoric around supporting innovation and regional development.

“The federal government’s talking about innovation and development all the time, which is where this is on-the-ground stuff, where this does take place, and it’s in a regional centre,” he said.

“We need to keep the pressure on them.

“If they don’t answer us, we send another letter indicating that we still want to meet with them and don’t trust them at all.”

Councillor Nikki Kiss said the way the matter had been handled left many in the community feeling frustrated and bewildered.

“I’m speaking to this simply because it’s quite bewildering,” Cr Kiss said.

“When I first heard about it, I was quite flabbergasted by it.

“All of those different emotions, you know, anger, and then facetious comments like not going to be eating meat anymore.

“It really highlights my disappointment in the lack of communication and transparency.”

Cr Kiss said if the government had approached the community openly, concerns could have been discussed constructively.

“I think I’m a reasonable person, and if we’re approached and things are discussed openly, then I can understand,” she said.

“The fact that it’s become so secretive, I just feel it leaves us with more questions than answers and puts everybody on the wrong foot to begin with.”

Mayor Paul Smith said timing of any staff cuts would be particularly reckless given that food security, protein supply, and agricultural resilience are among the most pressing issues of the coming decades.

The research station, which has operated for decades as one of the state’s most important centres for agricultural research and innovation, has been credited with shaping farming practices not only in New South Wales but across Australia.

Its reliable soils and climate make it an ideal testing ground for new plant varieties, and it has hosted large-scale demonstrations that have extended cutting-edge technologies to farmers across the state.

Over time, the station has contributed to advancements in sheep meat and red meat production, crop trials, genetics, soil health, climate adaptation, biosecurity, livestock systems, and water efficiency.

Council agreed that further losses would not only damage the Cowra facility but also accelerate the departure of skilled researchers who might be lost to the industry altogether.

Council resolved to continue writing to both the NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty until a clear answer is provided.