Australian Crop Breeders, the peak body representing Australia’s field crop breeders, has announced the appointment of Dr Narelle Moore as its inaugural CEO.
Chairman of ACB, professor Haydn Kuchel, said ACB was excited to take the next step in providing the industry with clear and effective input from Australia’s crop breeding organisations.
“We look forward to Dr Moore leading ACB and helping us to advocate for a strong and resilient crop breeding community that helps Australian farmers thrive,” he said.
“Dr Moore is an accomplished R&D leader and businesswoman with over 20 years’ experience in the grains industry both nationally and internationally.
“Her unique mix of skills and experience managing large research programs, including plant breeding, grain marketing, grain quality, industry representation and scientific training, provide Dr Moore with the ideal platform from which to lead ACB forward.”
Dr Moore said she was looking forward to starting in the new role and working with industry to maximise the benefits crop breeding delivers to farmers in Australia.
“This is a great opportunity to work in partnership with industry to ensure that crop breeding in Australia operates within a supportive environment and continues to deliver genetic improvement to Australia’s farmers for many years to come.”
She said a common thread in her career had been delivering value back to growers.
Holding a PHD in plant breeding, Dr Moore’s previous roles at CBH Group, GRDC and NSW DPI will help provide strong leadership around developing future strategy, delivering core activities, growing the membership base and broadening engagement with industry.
Dr Moore sees an opportunity for ACB to expand to represent a larger cohort of breeders.
“ACB has been operating for several years now and recognises the importance of growing and representing more of the industry.
“Members have done a great job of providing support to ACB and have recognised that it’s timely, especially for a small industry in Australia, to prioritise a strong voice together by engaging a CEO.”
End Point Royalty (EPR) compliance will be a key focus.
Under the national EPR system royalties are paid on the production from a crop released under the Plant Breeder’s Rights scheme, enabling the continued development of high performance, superior plant varieties for Australian growers.
“EPR is one of ACB’s important education pieces for both growers and the wider industry to come together to understand.
“A lot of work is being done and that will continue.
“It’s vital not only for growers but for trade and domestic markets to understand how EPRs work and why they are essential to the success of a breeding program.”
