“The Government needs to fund our tertiary sector properly so that Lincoln is not forced to cut courses and research vital for our primary sector,” Browning said.
“Lincoln University is chronically under-funded and there are cuts to basic operational funding which has in part led to this situation.
“Organic and GE-free food has been identified as preferences for our best-value export markets.
“We need to ensure our agricultural centres of learning are supporting the push to add value to our exports.
“Organic systems based on sound agro-ecological practices are proven to produce healthier food, lessen nutrient leaching, increase biodiversity, improve soil biology and conservation, improve animal welfare outcomes, and support climate change resilience.
“Lincoln's research partner AgResearch is using 25% of its forage budget and 10% of its livestock budget on genetic engineering (GE) and the loss of high level agro-ecology education shows an unacceptable move by key players away from building a genuinely sustainable future for primary production in Aotearoa New Zealand,” Browning said.
