A PUSH from within the State’s peak farmer body to dump its own grains committee has failed.
A ‘no confidence’ motion in NSW Farmers’ grains committee, believed to have come from the board, failed to pass in a marathon four-hour executive council debate on Tuesday.
It is unclear, given that the motion was not successful, how the board will address its issues with the eight-person grains committee, chaired by Kikoira farmer Mark Hoskinson.
The Land understands the motion was prompted by dissatisfaction with the grains committee’s leaning toward GrainGrowers Lim-ited (GGL) as first choice for a grains peak body for the national industry.
The issue has long vexed NSW Farmers, with a resolution passed at its 2011 annual conference “that the association as a matter of urgency, analyse and assess the strengths and weaknesses of all bodies aiming to be the peak grains representative with a view to establishing one organisation”.
Newly elected president Fiona Simson (pictured) said achieving one peak body was among her priorities, setting a deadline of January 1 this year.
In September last year, grain body stakeholders, including all the State farming organisations, met in Sydney and agreed on key principles called “points of convergence”.
This policy was subsequently supported in a resolution by the grains committee and the executive council at its meeting on October 13.
A fortnight later, GGL made changes to its constitution at its Wagga Wagga annual general meeting, in line with the “points of convergence”.
Three bodies – National Grains Australia (NGA), which NSW Farmers helped establish but no longer endorses, Grain Producers Australia (GPA) and GGL – have been vying for peak body status.
Mrs Simson and grains committee chair Mark Hoskinson both declined to comment to The Land on issues relating to Tuesday’s executive council meeting, saying proceedings were held in camera.
But Mrs Simson agreed ongoing dissent over the formation of a national peak body for grain growers was unhelpful, saying “growers are sick of the political machinations”.
Asked if the situation would alter relations between the board, the executive council, and the grains committee, she said the latter acted in an advisory capacity only – unlike at the Victorian Farmers Federation or Queensland’s Agforce, where committees had autonomy.
Asked if NSW Farmers favoured GGL as the peak body, Ms Simson said “the only leaning we have is toward a final model that fulfils the points of convergence and to progress further we need agreement from all States”.
“We are having discussions with GGL, they have funding sustainability and it is much stronger to start from a position where we have agreement. Everybody in the industry wants one peak body – a fractured voice won’t have the same impact,” she said.
Mr Hoskinson said he participated in a meeting with NSW Farmers chief executive Matt Brand and GGL representatives earlier this week and further meetings would be held in a bid to achieve agreement with all State farmer bodies.
“Negotiations are still fluid,” he said.
“We did have a January 1 deadline but we can’t lock ourselves into a policy when we are still negotiating and our main priority is to achieve a peak body that is truly representative of grain growers, democratic, well-funded, and sustainable.
“We need to do due diligence on any proposal, and if we can get to a point where we have one body, one policy, we will be in a very strong position.”
Email a friend