THE chairman of Australia's peak body for greenhouse, glasshouse and hydroponic growers has issued a retraction and apology over comments made at a conference last week.
Chair of Protected Cropping Australia, Robert Hayes, clarified his statements made at the Protected Cropping Australia Conference in Adelaide during his opening address, and reported by Fairfax Media.
Mr Hayes statement is as follows:
I would like to correct the record in relation to a statement I made on Monday 10th July at the Apex-Brinkman Protected Cropping Australia 2017 National Conference.
I stated as follows: In 2014-2015 non-levied horticultural industries contributed 12 per cent of the Gross Value of Production of horticulture.
This GVP estimate prepared by ABARE each year is the measure by which the Commonwealth caps matching funds for R&D to HIA as the RDC for horticulture.
In effect HIA is misappropriating 12pc of the matching R&D grants from the Commonwealth and spending it on Pool 2 projects that it considers to be in the broader interest of horticulture.
In so doing it is simultaneously denying individual or groups within unlevied industries access to a matching R&D grant.
And later: To this end, PCA calls upon HIA to create a new investment Pool 3 to enable equitable access to matching Commonwealth contribution towards essential and urgently needed R&D.
"HIA's current policy denying voluntary contributions and mis-appropriating the Commonwealth's matching contribution generated by unlevied industries is discriminatory and will continue to divide horticulture - it must change immediately.
I completely retract and withdraw any inference that may be drawn from my statements
above, that Horticulture Innovation Australia have in any way, acted improperly.
I unreservedly apologise to Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd, its board, management and staff for any reputational damage caused by my statement.
Mr Hayes also supplied the transcript of his original speech to give full context to his comments.
Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Distinguished Guests, international, inter-state, and local delegates and exhibitors, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of the conference organisers it is my pleasure to welcome you all to Adelaide and Protected Cropping Australia’s 14th Biennial Conference.
I thank you all for taking the time to come together, to listen, learn, discuss your experiences, exchange information, and explore ideas within the broader spectrum of protected cropping horticulture.
I would particularly like to recognise and thank Royal Brinkman and Apex Glasshouses for their contribution to this event as naming rights sponsors.
Similarly I would like to thank all of the trade exhibitors who have travelled from across Australia, the northern hemisphere and elsewhere to participate in this event.
My thanks also go the local organising committee, chaired by Jeremy Badgery-Parker.
A very special thanks to Rick Donnan for once again organising the speaker program and editing the proceedings, and to Saskia Blanche who has worked tirelessly with AOG Events and the committee to bring this conference together.
Folco Faber and Nam Ly had the difficult task of organising the farm tours.
The outbreak of tomato potato psyllid in WA had reverberations for host farms' decisions to withdraw from the farm tours and we apologise to delegates for this unavoidable disruption.
On behalf of all the delegates I also extend our warm thanks to all of the speakers, presenters and farm tour hosts.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to all the delegates from Horticulture Innovation Australia limited.
This is the second PCA conference whereby HIA's Board policy excludes voluntary contribution from across commodity entities such as the PCA, from funding support.
Just a few months ago here in this venue, hundreds of vegetable growers were subsidised to attend the PMA Horticulture Convention.
Here today there is not one dollar of R&D levy or matching Commonwealth funding.
Yet many protected cropping growers pay levy on their produce.
This PCA conference continues to provide the fertile grounds every two years to accelerate the adoption of research and improved technologies across an ever widening range of crops and foodstuffs.
More significantly, this HIA policy applies to exclude voluntary contribution projects originating from non-levied commodity and related supply chain entities from attracting R&D matching funding from the Commonwealth.
In 2014-2015 non-levied horticultural industries contributed 12pc of the Gross Value of Production of horticulture.
This GVP estimate, prepared by ABARE each year is the measure by which the Commonwealth caps matching funds for R&D to HIA as the RDC for horticulture.
In effect, it's my view, that HIA is misappropriating about 12pc of the matching R&D grants from the Commonwealth and spending it on Pool 2 projects that it considers to be in the broader interest of horticulture.
In so doing, it is simultaneously denies individual or groups within unlevied industries access to matching R&D grants.
The policy has a severe impact on small and emerging crops, but also affects one of the largest horticultural commodities by value - table tomatoes.
It is by far the biggest protected cropping commodity in Australia and worth in excess of $500 million farmgate annually.
The estimated 2017 farmgate value of horticultural production utilising some form of protected cropping is nearly $1.5 billion per annum or 12pc of the total GVP of all horticultural production.
Arguably, protected cropping is the most innovative sector in horticulture, having grown some 500 to 600 percent in the last 20 years.
Against this background, it’s worth noting that dedicated research investment in protected cropping innovation by HIA is relatively small.
Current projects relating directly to protected cropping technology total less than $5 million dollars, from what I can see, over this corresponding 2015 - 2017 investment period.
A total pool over that period in investments would be in excess of $200 million.)
Having said that, just one of those projects that have been funded, will deliver a fantastic return on investment to protected cropping - that is the Australian Standard for Horticultural Buildings.
It comes under another name but that's effectively what the project is about."
As anybody who has built a greenhouse or glasshouse in recent times will attest, and assuming this project is carried to fruition, it will facilitate future investment into our industry by removing barriers and harmonising the Building Code across the country for horticultural structures.
HIA are to be commended for its investment decision to pursue this using vegetable levy funds.
For many years, PCA has had a stated policy to encourage all industry sectors not currently paying a statutory R&D levy, to undertake the Levy Consultation Process and implement both R&D and biosecurity levies.
This process is in critical need of a kick-start from HIA and the Commonwealth across a number of commodities, and arguably across all commodities still outside the R&D and biosecurity levy tent.
In the shorter term it is desirable that non-levied industries have access to match Commonwealth funding, as envisaged in the current Funding Agreement between HIA and the Commonwealth.
This is essential to progress critical gaps in managing current biosecurity incursions, particularly through the provision of emergency pesticide permits.
To this end, PCA calls upon HIA to create a new investment Pool 3 to enable equitable access to matching Commonwealth contribution towards essential and urgently needed R&D.
HIA's current policy denying voluntary contributions and misappropriating the Commonwealth's matching contribution generated by unlevied industries is discriminatory and will continue to divide horticulture - it must change immediately.