As the agriculture sector awaits further news from the state government's functional review, neither the Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW Tara Moriarty nor the Premier's office have confirmed whether or not there will be job cuts.
Stakeholders have concerns about this as a possibility after former director general Scott Hansen was given the boot in January, but it also remained unclear as to whether the department would retain its autonomy within the broader Regional NSW departmental structure.
The DPI was established in 1890 as the Department of Mines and Agriculture, and while it has changed names, it has retained its autonomy with its own budget.
"The eyes of the whole ag sector are watching with great interest," Northern Tablelands MP and former NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said.
"They are the agency charged with biosecurity ... it's one of less than a handful of sandstone government departments that can trace its history right back to colonial government in NSW."
Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said the work the DPI did for regional NSW was "immeasurable" and there were concerns for regional job losses under the review.
"The government has so far refused to release any detail around what that review looks like, or provide any guarantee that DPI will remain its own entity," Mr Saunders said.
A NSW government spokesperson said there were no proposals for change to the DPI and it would continue to play an important role within the Department of Regional NSW.
When The Land asked Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty's office to confirm whether there would be job cuts, there was no comment.
Instead, a spokesperson said the former Coalition government subsumed the DPI into the Department of Regional NSW and restructured the DPI director general to report to the Secretary of Regional NSW.
The DPI concerns remained unanswered as The Land last week reported its reader survey results in which the NSW government scored 36 per cent on rural issues.
When asked how the Premier planned to create cut-through in regional and rural communities, he said "it's a privilege to do this job and I don't take a second of it for granted".
Mr Minns said he was proud of what his government had achieved in the first year lifting the wages cap, legislating for an independent biosecurity commissioner, as well as beginning to address rising rates of regional crime with a $26 million package of reforms and initiatives, as well as a parliamentary inquiry.
"But I know we still have a lot of work to do," Mr Minns said.
"I acknowledge there have been bumps in the road along the way, but we're a year in, we're a year more experienced and I can promise the people of NSW, whether you live in the city or regional NSW, we are working hard every day to make people's lives better."
Mr Minns said in the past year he had so far visited country towns such as Tamworth, Orange, Lismore, Jerrabomberra, Bega, Goulburn and Moree.
"I'm determined to continue getting out of Sydney and hearing first-hand about the issues facing regional NSW, and work with the local communities on solutions that will work for them," he said.
The same question was put to Ms Moriarty during a parliamentary session last week by Shadow Minister for Western NSW Sarah Mitchell, to which Ms Moriaty said the only survey she cared about was the NSW election.
"People had their say at the state election last year and voted for us to form a government," Ms Moriarty said.
She did, however, refer to her government's progress on projects such as the dog fence, and spending on biosecurity, including for wild pig control.
