A record number of NSW Department of Primary Industry (DPI) staff have been appointed to the editorial board of an internationally respected scientific journal, Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said today.

A record number of NSW Department of Primary Industry (DPI) staff have been appointed to the editorial board of an internationally respected scientific journal, Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said today.

Dr Sue Hatcher, Dr Sue Mortimer and Dr David Hopkins have all recently been given three-year appointments to Animal Production Science, published by CSIRO.

Minister Macdonald said NSW DPI, along with the University of Melbourne, has the most staff from an individual organisation on the 19-member board which includes representatives from New Zealand, Switzerland, Uruguay, Spain and South Africa.

He said the appointments acknowledged the level of expertise the Department has achieved in animal production.

"Dr Sue Hatcher has been recognised for her contribution to and knowledge of wool production and quality, and the breeding, nutrition and reproduction of sheep," he said.

"The appointment of Dr Sue Mortimer acknowledges her as an authority in sheep breeding, genetics and genetic improvement.

"The appointment of NSW DPI principal research scientist, Dr Hopkins, was made on the basis of his contribution to carcase measurement, meat quality and production effects on growth and quality of sheepmeat and beef."

According to Dr Hopkins it’s a global endorsement of the work NSW DPI is performing to boost animal production.

"We are all honoured by our appointments and aim to continue to provide scientific leadership and rigor to NSW DPI’s animal research and development (R&D) and in the wider sense to R&D conducted across Australia," he said.

"As associate editors we will be responsible for overseeing the referring process of papers submitted to the journal within our areas of expertise and promoting the journal Australia-wide and internationally."

The Universities of Queensland and Adelaide, the Queensland DPI and Fisheries, CSIRO and the Cooperative Research Centres for Beef Genetic Technology and Sheep Industry Innovation are also represented on the Animal Production Science editorial board.

Contact: Trudy Glasgow 6391 3312 or Bernadette York 0427 773 785

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