Voting beef threatens to sink new peak cattle body

A dispute over giant graziers in northern Australia having more votes than smaller producers in the south could sink a new peak body.

Six state farming organisations will support a draft constitution for Cattle Australia – but not NSW Farmers.

A beef over graziers in northern Australia being given more voting power than producers in the south could spell the early downfall of a new peak body for grass-fed cattle producers.

After a decade of calls for a more representative producer-controlled organisation, all states have been in talks about the formation of Cattle Australia to replace the Cattle Council of Australia as the legally prescribed industry body.

Its direction is set to come down to the wire on Tuesday when the states’ farming organisations, which are the Cattle Council’s founding members, vote to adopt a draft constitution that would be the foundation document for the reform.

Six state farming organisations have said they will support the draft constitution, but the country’s largest state farming organisation, NSW Farmers, is likely to vote against it. Sources said one of the groups concerns was the “undemocratic” proposal to allocate scaled votes based on a producer’s herd size.

If the body, which represents the country’s second largest cattle state, goes one step further and withdraws from the future Cattle Australia altogether, it would effectively spell the end of the body’s ability to claim national representation.

NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin. Picture: Paul Mathews

“At the end of the day we want what’s best for farmers – and we are unconvinced that this proposed body will deliver any real benefit to grass-fed beef producers,” NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said in a statement.

“The proposed model at present is undemocratic, with no clear funding arrangements or business case.”

Michael Guerin, chief executive of Queensland’s AgForce, said his organisation would back the constitution, which would be reviewed in two years.

“Were very strongly supportive of the proposed changes in the birth of Cattle Australia,” he said. “We’ve been involved, as have all founding members, for many years with deep, detailed consultation to get to this point and we believe that the cattle Australia proposal will advance the interests of the cattle industry across the country.”

Agforce chief executive Michael Guerin.

Alongside the farming organisation vote is a separate poll among the Cattle Council’s 1400 producer members that requires 75 per cent to pass. It’s outcome is unclear and several prominent graziers have publicly slammed the reform process.

If successful, it would clear the way for and inaugural meeting of Cattle Australia on November 22.

The new governance structure was supposed to allow grass-fed cattle producers the chance to directly elect their own representatives to the Cattle Australia board, instead of relying on representation from the state farming organisations.

All grass-fed transaction levy payers will be given free membership to the organisation, bringing tens of thousands on-board immediately, but its long-term survival will depend on members paying an annual membership fee.

The membership fee, as well as voting entitlements would be scaled depending on the size of the producer’s herd.

The reform process has been overseen by a federally funded restructure steering committee, which was established last year and backed with $500,000 in taxpayer money as seed funding.

Some within the industry say the existing Cattle Council’s involvement in the reform means that the end product will be little more than a rebranding exercise.