Australian Dairy Farmers: Voting a group of unrepresentative “gatekeepers”

The dairy industry’s peak advocacy group was elected by less than 110 farmers, sparking calls for more of them to vote in this year’s ADF board election.

Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation vice president Matt Trace says the only way to change ADF is to vote for change.

The Australian Dairy Farmers peak body has been branded “a little club” given less than 110 of the sectors’ 5000 farmers voted in its board.

The alarmingly low number has prompted calls for more farmers to register to vote in this year’s ADF election, which they must do by this Tuesday October 12.

But as it stands the ADF only allows farmers who are members of “recognised” state dairy organisation to register to vote to vote for its board members.

The constitutional roadblock means that while Victoria has 2600 dairy farmers only the 800 who are members of the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria can vote.

Even then UDV president Paul Mumford said only 38 per cent of the ADF’s registered members were from the Victoria, despite the state producing 64 per cent of the nation’s milk pool.

It means that in all likelihood just 40 Victorian farmers voted in the 2020 ADF election, a situation Mr Mumford does not want repeated in this November’s vote for new board members.

“The UDV can’t have egg on its face, like happened last year,” Mr Mumford said. “It’s so important Victorian farmers are able to vote.”

In other states the ADF only recognises the NSW Farmers Association Dairy Committee, Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation, South Australian Dairyfarmers Association, The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association Ltd, through its Dairy Council and The Western Australian Farmers Federation’s Dairy Council.

Dairy Connect Farmers’ Group president Graham Forbes, whose 80 large farmer members can’t register with ADF, said the national body was clearly unrepresentative when it came to voting for board members.

“It’s a little club, with hardly any representatives from Tasmania, Victoria and NSW,” Mr Forbes said.

Yet the ADF board play a key role in industry decisions from initially opposing the mandatory dairy code in 2018, to pushing an industry restructure plan that failed.

In a recent letter to farmers, the chair of the Dairy Levy Poll Advisory Committee stated the decision not to give farmers the option to vote for a cutback, just the status quo and increases, was based in part on “submissions from Australian Dairy Farmers and Dairy Australia”.

Victorian candidate in the 2020 election Glenn Britnell confirmed that less than 110 farmers voted in last year’s ADF board elections, a situation he regarded as shocking.

Mr Britnell said ADF appeared to be run by a small group of “gatekeepers who were not letting people know what was going on”.

The Weekly Times has seen no correspondence or media releases from ADF calling on farmers to register to vote by Tuesday COB.

QDO vice president Matt Trace said “the real point here is if farmers have a problem they should get in and have and have a say by voting.

“I’d rather join an organisation because I think it needs changing, than when its doing a good job.”

The Weekly Times put the following questions to outgoing ADF president Terry Richardson:

HAS ADF issued any media releases calling on farmers to register to vote in the upcoming board elections?

No, as voting is only open to ADF members. Members will be advised via the Notice of Meeting and supporting papers that will be sent to members 21 days prior to the ADF AGM.

WHAT communication has been sent out to dairy farmers directly on registering to vote?

“There has been no direct communication from ADF to dairy farmers who are not members – individual State Dairy Farming Organisations may have sent messages to their members advising them that if they wished to be eligible to vote at the ADF AGM for the election of Directors, if not already an ADF member, that they would be required to submit a membership application to become an ADF member prior to Tuesday, 12 Oct. The acceptance of the application and subsequent admission as a member of ADF is ultimately a matter for the ADF Board to consider.”

WHATcommunication has been sent to dairy farmers urging them to nominate for the ADF board?

“An Expression of Interest and application forms were sent to all (400) ADF farmer members on Friday, 20 Aug.”

HOWmany farmers are currently registered to vote in the ADF board election for 2021?

“400”

IS ADF satisfied with that number of registered voters?

“The numbers are what they are and ADF encourages all eligible members to vote at the AGM. Further, it encourages all dairy farmers to be members of their individual State Dairy Farming Organisations (SDFO’s) and to submit a membership application to become an ADF member.”