Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development

Best in show! 🏆 Our shed at Wagin Woolorama took out the award for Best Exhibitor on the weekend! The power went out briefly, but luckily our expert staff are such bright sparks it didn’t matter 😉

How lucky are we to have Heather Brayford as our Director General ✨   Heather (and her yo-yo skills and sense of humour) feature in the full-length version of the video below celebrating International Women's Day – an excellent watch!

Northern beef producers - let’s meat up 👋🤠   Hear from experts on the latest research, market insights, new tech, tools and resources.   Cow ‘bout you register right now?

Up at dawn to sample bird poo – the life of a DPIRD veterinarian is oh-so glamorous 💅   With the overseas spread of the new H5 avian influenza strain, we’ve increased our sampling to help spot the virus earlier if it arrives in Australia 🔬   The best way to protect your poultry and pet birds from avian influenza is to keep them, their water and feed away from wild birds and their poo.

Did you know that dung beetles can reduce flies in regional towns? 💩   Bush flies lay their eggs in animal dung. When dung beetles are introduced onto farms, they bury the dung, which stops flies from breeding. The process of burying the dung also helps to improve soil health.   We've just awarded Warren Catchments Council Inc $500k to roll out a dung beetle soil health initiative in WA 🌱 More info ⬇️

After 36 years with the Department, photographer Peter Maloney is hanging up his camera 📸   A scientific photographer with an eye for beauty, Peter has helped our staff communicate complex work for more than 3 decades and has photographed farming and fishing communities in every corner of WA.   His 51-year career evolved from bulky film equipment and darkroom sinks to digital video on smartphone, but Peter says the tech makes no difference to him – it’s always been about storytelling.

Have you seen our new ads in the Perth underground? We worked with Studio Orange on this project, which is being seen by thousands of people every day.

Congratulations to Dr Mia Carbon and Mr Vaughan Davies on their appointment to our Corporate Executive team 🎉 Mia will take on the new role of Deputy Director General, Biosecurity and Emergency Management 🩺🐜🔥 Vaughan will oversee the new Fisheries and Sustainability pillar as Deputy Director General 🎣🦪⚖️

Grants through the Recreational Fishing Initiative Fund are available for local governments, businesses, research organisations and groups to: 🐟 Install/upgrade fish cleaning stations at boat ramps and popular fishing locations 🎣 Promote/showcase recreational fishing experiences in Western Australia 🦪 Complete aquatic research, restocking, habitat enhancement and environmental projects.

40 million baby oysters! 🦪 Our Albany Shellfish Hatchery upgrades are nearly complete – with new labs, nursery space and greenhouses (to grow algae for oysters to eat) allowing us to double our rock oyster production capacity 🔬 Baby oysters are grown in the Hatchery – the trickiest part of the aquaculture process – before they’re sold to businesses across WA to grow out in ocean baskets 🌊