Limestone Coast research centre to rebuild
Designs have been released for the rebuild of a South East research centre which was badly damaged by fires in 2022 and 2023.
The Struan Research Centre, 16km south of Naracoorte in the South East, suffered $5 million of damage in November 2022, after a fire caused the centre’s ceiling to collapse.
In May 2023, around $700,000 of damage was done to adjacent workshops and vehicles when two trucks, a tractor, and a shed housing another three vehicles were all lost in a blaze.
The state government has now committed $5.74 million to the construction of a new facility, run by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA).
PIRSA’s research division, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), has been conducting research from Struan House, a 150-year-old historic home located across the road from the planned facility.
The Struan Research Centre suffered serious fire damage in 2022. Photo: supplied
The centre conducts research across agriculture and livestock, having previously looked into sheep and cattle production, management and welfare, agronomic practice and development, and the improvement of regionally important crops.
The centre is also involved in several collaborations, with the most recent being field trials for an AgTech virtual livestock fencing solution, allowing remote livestock grazing management.
The new centre, which is expected to open in mid-2027, will provide accommodation for 30 staff as well as secure office space, a storage facility, dry and wet laboratories and temperature-controlled rooms.
Announcing the rebuild this week, Scriven said the facility was a “vital part of the Limestone Coast Community”.
“I look forward to construction getting underway on the new building, which once complete, will nurture research that supports primary producers, encourages the uptake of AgTech solutions and helps South Australia reach its goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,” she said.
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PIRSA operated the research facility. Photo: supplied
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven said in 2023 that the centre had an “incredibly important role in the continued growth and success of the agricultural and livestock sectors that contribute so much to our state’s economy”.
“AgTech has the potential to return $2.6 billion per year to the state’s economy and to give producers the ability to increase productivity, which only serves to highlight the importance of the centre’s ongoing work in this area.”
Site preparation will begin in the coming months, with construction expected to commence in mid-2025.
