Established Rural Industries

Providing the knowledge to increase the profitability, resilience and sustainability of selected established rural industries

RIRDC’s established rural industries face challenging operating environments. Declining terms of trade, increasing international competition and distorted markets combined with climate variability and change and natural resource management issues to put pressure on these sectors. Continued productivity growth underpinned by innovation is a crucial part of the response.

There are opportunities to be captured too— in emerging and growing markets, innovative production processes, value-added products and competitive supply chains. Innovation can also deliver better environmental performance and resource use.

These industries depend on targeted R&D to provide the innovation that underpins their productivity growth. R&D also provides innovative solutions to the challenges of sustainability.

A number of the RIRDC Established Rural Industry programs are funded by industry levies, matched by the Australian Government, while industry also makes voluntary contributions to others.

RIRDC's Established Rural Industries are:

• Honeybees
• Chicken Meat
• Rice
• Horses
• Organic Systems
• Fodder Crops
• Pasture Seeds
• Deer

RIRDC's General Manager, Established Rural Industries:

Ms Margie Thomson
Phone: (02) 6271 4130