Primary industry experts on National Science Challenges

Primary industry experts on National Science Challenges panel

Federated Farmers is excited three experts from the primary industries are part of the eleven person panel charged with identifying New Zealand’s science challenges.

“We are excited to see the primary industries are part of tomorrow’s world,” says Dr William Rolleston, Federated Farmers spokesperson on food production sciences.

“We have three experts representing the primary industries and this underscores that primary food production and value-added processing is not just about the now, but the future too.

“Plant and Food Research’s Chief Scientist, Dr Ian Ferguson and Waikato University’s Professor Jacqueline Rowarth are highly regarded scientists.

“Both have received Royal Honours for their contribution with Professor Rowarth being a former Federated Farmers Agri-Personality of the Year.

“Then we have Professor David Penman, formerly Lincoln University’s Assistant Pro Vice Chancellor Research. Professor Penman has a strong background in the primary industries both as an entomologist and from his time at Landcare Research.

“Federated Farmers is excited to see the Government investing $60 million into the National Science Challenges.

“We completely agree with Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce that improving water quality and lifting farm productivity is achievable. Especially as the panel will help cut through a fog that seems to envelop rational discussion on the topic.

“There are many challenges we face as a nation and as a planet.

“As World Bank President Jim Yong Kim noted recently, “feeding the world will get harder with each passing year. We need to produce 70 percent more food by 2050 to feed the nine billion people who will be living on the planet by then”.

“Federated Farmers congratulates the other eight panellists and offers them our full support,” Dr Rolleston concluded.

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