RDCs set bold new direction for Australian agriculture
As seven of Australia’s Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) unveil their new Strategic Plans, the message is clear: innovation, sustainability, and collaboration will define the next era of agricultural growth.
Funded through producer and processor levies and government contributions, the RDCs drive research, innovation and adoption across Australian agriculture. Their new plans spanning the red meat, pork, wool, dairy, fisheries, and wine industries signal a boost to productivity, profitability, and resilience.
Shared national priorities emerge across all plans, from sustainability and climate readiness to digital transformation and workforce capability. Through growAG., industry and investors can explore the latest research, and opportunities underpinning these shifts.
Across the seven Strategic Plans, three dominant themes emerge:
1. Workforce capability appears in all seven plans; RDCs are prioritising skills development, retention, training pathways, and technology-enabled upskilling. AMPC and MLA describe this as building a ‘future-ready workforce’, a critical enabler of industry excellence. This theme is echoed across all RDC plans as sectors face labour shortages, capability gaps, and ‘ageing workforces’, as highlighted in Dairy Australia’s ‘People’ theme, recognising workforce as both a challenge and a strategic opportunity.
2. Digital and data transformation features in all seven plans; examples include MLA’s value-based marketing systems linking pricing with objective quality and market data, Wine Australia’s AI-enabled vineyard performance tools that strengthen data-driven decision-making, and APL’s investment in AI and digital technologies to boost on-farm efficiency and profitability. Across the RDCs, stronger data, traceability, and digital integration are considered essential in bolstering biosecurity, quality assurance, and access to premium markets.
3. Climate and environmental resilience appears in every plan, with sectors proposing strategies to manage climate risk, protect natural capital, and uphold responsible stewardship to strengthen social licence and long-term productivity. FRDC highlights the need to safeguard aquatic ecosystem health amid warming oceans, shifting species and rising biosecurity pressures, while AWI targets sustainable wool-growing and low-impact production through investments in natural capital, soil health and its Woolmark+ roadmap to meet evolving regulatory and consumer expectations.
Together, these themes show how the RDCs are converging around similar challenges: building workforce capability, strengthening climate and biosecurity resilience, accelerating innovation, and elevating long-term market competitiveness.
Explore growAG.’s latest research projects and opportunities.
Building impact through collaboration — FRDC
The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’s (FRDC) new RD&E Plan 2025-30 recognises the rapid changes shaping our oceans and industries and calls for fresh thinking, strong partnerships, and shared accountability.
“The plan seeks to deliver impact through collaboration by investing in people and innovation to ensure healthy aquatic environments for thriving fishing and aquaculture,” says Kylie Dunstan, FRDC General Manager Stakeholder Engagement.
The plan focuses on five themes: growing resilient and innovative fisheries; best practices and production systems; capable and diverse people; secure access and resource allocation; and community trust, acceptance and value.
FRDC’s approach builds on a decade-long vision, Jen explains, increasing its focus on impact through co-management of RD&E, collaborative partnerships, data and analytics, innovative investment models, and facilitated adoption.
“Our plan identifies a series of key trends and drivers, which include challenges such as climate resilience, biosecurity threats and global market pressures, as well as opportunities such as circularity, and valorisation, digitalisation and new technologies, and Increasing Indigenous and Recreational participation,” she says.
“Collaboration is foundational to everything we do; it’s a critical enabler for impact.”
Driving innovation and competitiveness — AMPC
The Australian Meat Processor Corporation’s (AMPC) new Strategic Plan 2025–2030 sets out to future-proof the red meat processing industry through three key pillars: industry excellence, innovation and technology leadership, and growth and global competitiveness.
“Investments in these areas aim to enhance workforce capabilities, support sustainable and animal welfare outcomes, and boost productivity while expanding access to international markets,” says AMPC CEO, Edwina Toohey. “These investments are important for levy payers because they will help strengthen the industry’s efficiency, reputation, and long-term profitability.”
AMPC will continue to guide investments into new and emerging technologies, she explains, to support more efficient and safe processing, while addressing key challenges such as climate change and labour shortages.
“Our plan supports the industry’s sustainability efforts by funding research to reduce emissions, waste, and resource use, and enhances resilience through innovation, automation, and workforce development,” she says.
“Over the next few years, our goal is to deliver commercial outcomes in productivity, sustainability, and workforce capability across the red meat processing industry.”
Establishing pork as Australia’s most versatile protein — APL
The Australian Pork Limited (APL) Strategic Plan 2025–2030 is designed to enable a thriving, sustainable pork industry, centred on becoming Australia’s most versatile protein, from farm to fork, while sustainably adding $1 billion to farmgate value by 2030.
“Our 2025–2030 Strategic Plan is ambitious, with a broad set of goals, including growing demand through increased market share and product opportunities, reducing cost of production, driving research, innovation and extension, and leading biosecurity and animal welfare,” says APL CEO Margo Andrae.
The plan responds directly to levy-payer feedback and industry consultation, focusing on innovation and technology to drive efficiency and sustainability. “While we face ongoing challenges – including biosecurity risks, shifting consumer expectations, rising production costs, global trade pressures, and the impacts of climate change – our industry is well positioned to build on our strengths and existing achievements, including a reduction in emissions intensity by more than 70 percent over the past 40 years.”
Strengthening productivity and profitability — MLA
Under its Strategic Plan 2030, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has set a bold new vision to lift the Australian red meat and livestock industry, worth $81 billion, with a clear investment focus across marketing and innovation over the next five years.
“Productivity and profitability will underpin the sustainability and prosperity of our great industry,” says MLA Managing Director, Michael Crowley.
“By focusing on value creation and capture along the supply chain, we will deliver benefits that translate into profitability for the production sector.”
Michael says, “Our research, innovation and investment has paid dividends, and we won’t be slowing down. With the backing of our red meat industry bodies, MLA will continue our focus on reducing emissions and reducing emissions intensity per kilogram of production.”
Delivering value-based marketing will be a “game-changer” for the sector, Michael adds that will drive greater returns through the value chain and particularly for producers.
Resilience, innovation, and market growth — Wine Australia
For the wine sector, the Wine Australia Strategic Plan 2025–30 is a response to shifting market realities, from changing consumer behaviour to environmental pressures.
“Wine Australia’s Strategic Plan 2025–30 has been shaped in direct response to the sector’s priorities, as laid out in the One Grape & Wine Sector Plan released in 2024, and responds to the challenges and opportunities currently facing grape growers, winemakers and exporters,” says Dr Martin Cole, CEO of Wine Australia.
The plan focuses on practical R&D, extension, and adoption to improve vineyard performance and production efficiency; drive innovation and market growth; protect industry integrity; and strengthen sustainability and sector capability.
“We are investing in practical solutions that support growers and winemakers on the ground and in market, from improving vineyard performance and water efficiency, to developing new technologies and product opportunities,” Martin says. “Our new Extension and Adoption Strategy will support the sector in taking up these innovations.”
Aligning for national impact
Beyond the five RDCs featured here, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and Dairy Australia are also setting ambitious directions for growth and resilience. AWI’s 2025–2028 Strategic Plan focuses on sustainability, marketing, and fibre innovation, while Dairy Australia’s plan highlights workforce capability, technology adoption, and environmental stewardship.
Together, these strategies reinforce national priorities and show how levy investments are aligning to drive impact and long-term value across Australian agriculture.