Smarter funding essential for ag research

Vital agricultural research is at risk due to flaws in the current funding model, prompting Beef + Lamb New Zealand and partner organisations to raise concerns with Minister Shane Reti. 

Dan Brier.

B+LNZ’s GM farming excellence, Dan Brier, stresses that NZ’s agricultural success is built on decades of quality research. 

“The success of the agricultural industry in NZ is heavily reliant on the excellent work our scientists have done over the
last 100 years.” 

A key concern raised in an open letter to the minister is the ongoing decline in livestock parasite research, which
is critical for farm productivity and animal welfare. 

The impending redundancies of three leading AgResearch parasitologists will further weaken NZ’s ability to manage parasite resistance—a growing challenge for farmers. 

Brier says the government must play a greater role in funding farm systems research. 

“Government has a responsibility to fund agricultural research because improved farm returns benefit the entire economy, and particularly rural communities.” 

Another major issue is the inefficiency of the current funding model, which forces scientists to spend excessive time applying for grants instead of conducting research. 

“The current system is flawed, with too much time spent writing funding applications rather than doing science,” says Brier. 

“It encourages moonshots at the expense of incremental improvements and puts some organisations at a disadvantage. The overhead associated with reporting progress comes at the direct expense of research.” 

B+LNZ is calling for a more sustainable, collaborative funding model. 

Years of underfunding and competition between research groups have hindered progress and made succession
planning difficult. 

The letter urges the government to support a more strategic approach, particularly in parasite management. 

To address this, B+LNZ and its partners are convening a meeting of parasitology stakeholders to discuss a collaborative research approach. 

They are urging the government to back this initiative to safeguard New Zealand’s research capabilities and agricultural future. 

Brier reinforces the importance of applied research for farmers. 

“Applied farm systems research helps farmers understand and integrate new technologies in real-world conditions. This is the research that translates innovation into practical solutions. Wormwise, which is fully funded and managed by B+LNZ, is working hard at the farmer extension end, but we need a different approach across parasite research.” 

“With sheep and beef farm profits declining, well-directed research is more critical than ever for improving productivity and profitability. B+LNZ is advocating for a funding model that supports long-term, farmer-focused research - ensuring the industry remains productive and resilient.”