WEST Australian egg producers are fearful of the impact of the Productivity Commission's recommendation to scale back government funding for agricultural research and development.
Commercial Egg Producers Association of Western Australia Inc (CEPA) has argued that rising production costs and increasing pressure on egg market profits require more research investment, not less.
CEPA president, John Simpson, said profit margins were shrinking at an alarming rate and the PC's recommendation to cut funding for poultry research by 50pc in the next 10 years would "cripple the industry".
He said PC recommendation to establish a new Research Development and Corporation model, Rural Research Australia, was strongly opposed by WA producers because "it will no doubt be developed at the expense of funds being directed to industry-specific research within the egg industry".
