UDV bid to oust VFF director Craig Dwyer

A battle has erupted at the Victorian Farmers Federation, after dairy farmers voted to oust their representative on the board.

The United Dairyfarmers of Victoria policy council wants Craig Dwyer replaced as their representative on the Victorian Farmers Federation board. Picture: Dannika Bonser

A battle has erupted at the Victorian Farmers Federation, after dairy farmers voted to oust their representative on the board, Craig Dwyer.

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Bernie Free said his policy council had called on VFF chief executive Brendan Tatham last Friday to replace Mr Dwyer on the board with Lockington dairy farmer Paul Weller.

The UDV’s demand follows the VFF board’s decision to pull eight of the UDV’s nominees off the Australian Dairy Farmers’ national council last week amid an ongoing dispute over funding.

When contacted at 6pm last Friday Mr Dwyer denied he had been disendorsed, texting The Weekly Times a copy of a motion the UDV policy council had passed on Monday last week, which backed him on the basis he ensured “UDV is represented at national level”.

But Mr Free said policy council “rescinded that resolution” on Friday at 2.27pm and had called on the VFF to follow its constitution and allow the UDV to replace Mr Dwyer.

Section 7.2.1 (e) of the VFF constitution states each commodity group, such as the UDV, shall establish a policy council to “nominate representative(s) of the commodity policy council to the board”.

In the meantime ADF is struggling to operate, with just one Victorian, Ben Bennett, on its board, and none on its 15-member national council, despite the state producing two-thirds of the nation’s milk.

The election of a new ADF president was due to have occurred on November 24, with South Australian Rick Gladigau restanding in a contest for the top job against Pomborneit dairy farmer Ben Bennett.

ADF deferred the election for a week, in the hope the VFF would allow UDV to appoint its nominees to the national council.

But in the end the VFF refused to co-operate, leaving the ADF board’s four directors from Queensland, NSW, South Australia, plus Mr Bennett to cast two votes each in the presidential election last Friday, while Tasmania’s national councillors got a vote each, plus the Western Australian councillor – two votes.

The result was a deadlock, which at the time of going to print had not been resolved.

The VFF owes ADF $344,000 in unpaid subscriptions, but has refused to pay, arguing Victorian dairy farmers were not getting value for money.

In a communique to members in August the VFF board stated “the ADF are the most expensive agricultural advocacy organisation for the VFF to be a member at $344,000 (plus GST.).

“This is nearly seven times the cost of the second most expensive national peak council and 60 per cent more expensive than NFF membership.”