THE farming community at Walpeup fears the Victorian Department of Primary Industries is destroying any chance of on-going work at its research station.
Last August, the Victorian Government announced it would withdraw from the station in the small Mallee town west of Ouyen, but said services would be maintained and it would work to find new groups to run the station.
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But farmers say they feel deserted and the DPI's poor management of the transition period is undermining chances of the centre remaining open.
DPI staff were working on projects funded 25 per cent by the DPI and 75 per cent by other research organisations such as the Grains Research and Development Corporation.
Now various research and service organisations are interested in basing staff at the station, but no single entity has put up its hand to administer the centre.
In another blow to the town, the community-owned Walpeup general store leaseholders are also leaving.
Leaseholders Peter and Joy Mensch said they hoped the community could find someone else to run the business.
"No doubt closing the research station is affecting the store, but it can still be a viable business and I hope they get someone new in," Peter said.
Walpeup Action Group chairman and farmer Michael Pole said the DPI mismanagement of the transition period has threatened the future for all research at Walpeup.
"DPI say they are doing things by the book, but the way they've done things has led to frustration and delays and it's putting off groups who want to have tenants there," Mr Pole said.
Walpeup farmer James Wakefield said the DPI's communication with community and staff was inadequate and devoid of respect and compassion.
Mallee Research Facility Action Group and Walpeup Research Facility Consultative Committee member Robert Cooke accused Agriculture Minister Joe Helper of breaking his promise to maintain services to Mallee farmers.
"The chasm between the rhetoric and the reality has never been deeper, the gulf between spin and substance never wider," Mr Cooke said.
A spokesman for Mr Helper rejected claims most of the equipment had been moved, saying it was only a "small amount of equipment required by other projects to provide services to the farming sector".
"DPI (then) provided $25,000 for Sunraysia Institute of TAFE to develop a business plan ... to establish whether there is viable use for the site," he said.
"The interested parties are waiting for the business plan to be completed."
