ONE hundred employees at Agriculture Victoria have accepted Early Retirement Packages, as part of budget cuts intended to save the state close to $3.6 billion over four years.
"As part of the Victorian budget for 2021/2022, the Victorian Public Service was asked to implement a range of cost saving measures," said a spokesperson from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR).
According to the spokesperson all departments were asked to make these changes, with a number of staff given access to the government's Early Retirement Scheme.
Offers of Early Retirement Packages were determined by the proportionate size of the workforce in each department, and the number of eligible applicants.
Agriculture Victoria, one of the largest departments with 1200 staff, was therefore flagged as a priority.
A total of 174 voluntary packages were accepted across the DJPR; 100 of those were from Agriculture Victoria.
However, both the Victorian Farmers' Federation and the state opposition have condemned the move, concerned that the department is bearing the brunt of the State Government's cost saving measures.
"And this is at a time when agriculture has absolutely underpinned the economic resilience of Victoria," said president of the VFF Emma Germano.
Ms Germano said the decision is a backwards step for agriculture in Victoria, and has the potential to undermine the progress made to support local farmers.
"The move comes at a time when agriculture and regional Victoria are facing significant challenges in the face of a changing climate, supply chain challenges and the ever–present risk of natural disasters," Ms Germano said.
"So much work has been done to build the research and development capacity of Agriculture Victoria to support the resilience of our farmers.
"The department staff are world class and essential to support the future of our young farmers as they adapt to climate change.
"It's preposterous that the government is prepared to walk away from that."
Leader of the Nationals and Shadow Minister for Agriculture Peter Walsh said: "The fact that Agriculture Victoria has been targeted shows the disdain that the State Government has for regional Victoria and farmers in particular."
The opposition believes that Agriculture Victoria already suffered from under–resourcing, and job cuts will only further exacerbate the department's ability to deliver crucial research and development initiatives that could boost profitability and sustainability in the sector.
The $17.8 billion food and fibre sector is considered crucial to the recovery and rebuilding of Victoria's economy, however, Mr Walsh said that rather than support our farmers with more resourcing and a bigger effort to develop export potential, the State Government is cutting back.
There are concerns that losing a number of senior and experienced staff will significantly impact the department's ability to deliver critical services.
And this is on top of the department making 47 jobs, predominantly in the soils research team, redundant at the end of last year.
However, the spokesperson from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions has dismissed concerns, citing investment of $211 million in Agriculture Victoria over the last two budgets.
"We will always support our farmers and communities, and our high–quality on–ground services will continue as the voluntary packages are rolled out, with more staff in Agriculture Victoria in 2022 than there were four years ago," the spokesperson said.
Agriculture Victoria regional offices are slated to remain open despite the cuts, and staff departures are being staggered to ensure that the department continues to deliver high quality services across the state.
The government, however, would not disclose which services at Agriculture Victoria would be affected by job cuts, and whether these roles would be fulfilled in a reduced capacity or by other departments.