Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), also known as Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA, is an agency of the

South Australian Government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the highest ranking mem ...

whose focus is the economic development of the state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Its key areas of work include

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...

industries (in South Australia, mainly

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

), and

biosecurity Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction or spread of harmful organisms (e.g. viruses, bacteria, plants, animals etc.) intentionally or unintentionally outside their native range or within new environments. In agricult ...

Description

The purpose of the agency is to "grow primary industries and drive regional development". Its key areas of work include primary sector industries (in SA, mainly

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

and farming of

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

), marine

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

, and

Agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

, covering "food and beverage, field crops, meat and livestock,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

seafood Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

sectors" are seen as mainstays and growth areas of the South Australian economy. Along with the

South Australian Research and Development Institute The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) is the principal research institute of the Government of South Australia, with a network of research centres, laboratories and field sites both in metropolitan Adelaide and throughou ...

(SARDI), PIRSA has been located at the

Waite Research Precinct Urrbrae is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Mitcham. Located at the foot of the Adelaide Hills, it is bordered on the east by the South Eastern Freeway, and the Old Toll House, which marked the traditional ent ...

, alongside the University of Adelaide's Waite campus since about 1994. The Fisheries and Aquaculture division manages the state's

fish stocks Fish stocks are population, subpopulations of a particular species of fish, for which intrinsic parameters (growth, recruitment, mortality and fishing mortality) are traditionally regarded as the significant factors determining the Population ...

, along with industry and the community, by developing and implementing policy and regulations to ensure

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

of the aquaculture industry. It employs fisheries officers to monitor compliance with fishing regulations. PIRSA runs a grants program for farm industry business owners and operators. SARDI is the state government's principal research institute, and forms part of PIRSA.

Organisational history

In 1992, the South Australian Department of Agriculture, the Department of Fisheries, and the Department of Woods and Forests merged to form Primary Industries South Australia (PISA). In 1996–1997, the name of Mines and Energy South Australia was changed to Mines and Energy Resources South Australia (MERSA). In 1997, PISA and MERSA merged to form Primary Industries and Resources SA, formally the Department of Primary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA). In 2011–12 the name was changed to Primary Industries and Regions SA. In 2019, the Pastoral Board of South Australia, which governs

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to Pastoral farming, graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Austral ...

s in South Australia, moved to PIRSA from the Department for Environment and Water. In 2019, PIRSA and SARDI also entered a partnership with the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

in which scientists in diverse disciplines were to be able to access PIRSA's research farms and share their academic knowledge to the agricultural sector. The collaboration was anticipated to help develop SA's expertise in dryland agriculture by encouraging

multi-disciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...

research and helping to bring about new export opportunities.

Biosecurity Act upgrade

In 2020, PIRSA started a review of biosecurity legislation in South Australia, which had been covered by several pieces of legislation; the aim was to achieve a single Act for the state that would ensure South Australia's biosecurity systems remain effective. , the Bill was expected to progress through the parliamentary process by the end of the year.

Examples of PIRSA's work

In 2007, as part of its community program, PIRSA administered a travel survey in Adelaide that identified the need for secure parking for bicycles in the city. A parking station for 21 bikes was built in a basement at the

Grenfell Centre Grenfell Centre, formerly known as Oracle House and JLW Building, nicknamed Black Stump, is a high rise office building located at 25 Grenfell Street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. History and description The Brookman Build ...

, which proved very popular. It also established a bicycle user group. PIRSA fisheries officers police fishers' compliance with fisheries regulations to ensure fish stocks are safeguarded for future generations. An example in December 2014 was when fisheries officers caught two men fishing at

Wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies, that are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'' wi ...

for snapper during the annual closure period. The men fled and were detained away. The fishers were fined and ordered to pay costs totalling . To help with landholders' recovery from the December 2019 bushfires, PIRSA prepared, with other agencies, an

impact assessment Policy impact assessments, or simply impact assessments (IAs), are formal, evidence-based procedures that assess prospective economic, social, and environmental effects of a public policy proposal. They have been incorporated into policy making in ...

of the damage done to many types of agricultural enterprises. Advice on caring for stock, coordination of various types of assistance, and technical support were given to people who had suffered losses from the fires, many of whom were located around Cudlee Creek and on

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...

References

External links

*{{official, https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/home Agriculture in South Australia Biosecurity Government agencies of South Australia Primary industry departments in Australia