RIRDC's Established Rural Industries investments include research and development for a suite of agricultural industries including intensive and extensive livestock industries and irrigated and extensive broadacre industries. Industries represented are rice, chicken meat, horse, pasture seeds, fodder crops, honeybee and organic systems. Separate research programs are managed by RIRDC on behalf of these industries and are funded through one or more of the following sources:

Statutory producer levies that are matched by Government (some limited by a three year rolling formula as defined in the PIERD Act 1989)
Voluntary contributions provided by external statutory or commercial bodies
Government appropriations provided directly to RIRDC.

These programs use the RIRDC Financial Reserves Policy to maximise investments into research and development, consistent with business objectives, while ensuring sufficient income to be available to cover contracted liabilities and to maintain research and development capacity.

Financial reserves have been carefully managed since the Board approved the RIRDC Financial Reserves Policy in 2006. Despite ongoing drought conditions in major farming regions of Australia, only a small draw down of financial reserves was proposed in 2010-11:- $18,000 in the Pasture Seeds and $89,000 in the Horse Program. A further $294,000 will be drawn down in the Chicken Meat Program as the Program continues to expand. Surprisingly, the Rice Program will not be required to draw down its reserves, as the Program will be sustained by higher than expected production forecasted in 2010 and a new R&D Partnership is proposed with SunRice Pty Ltd and Industry and Investment NSW (formerly NSW DPI).

RIRDC's Established Rural Industries are:

Senior Research Manager:

Dr John de Majnik
Ph: 02 6271 4138
Fax: 02 6271 4199
Email: john.demajnik@rirdc.gov.au