Farmer revolt: 115 farmers back EGM motion to oust VFF board

Grain growers have gained more than the 100 signatures needed to call an extraordinary general meeting, in their bid to oust the Victorian Farmers Federation board.

The VFF’s board needs to go in the wake of a blow out in borrowings, loss of members and failure to listen to grassroots members, says former VFF Grains Group president Brett Hosking.

Grain growers have gained more than the 100 signatures needed to call an extraordinary general meeting at which a motion will be put to oust the Victorian Farmers Federation’s board.

Former VFF Grains Group presidents Brett Hosking and Andrew Weidemann said they took less than a week to gain 115 signatures and hope to end up with 150 by Monday.

Mr Hosking said the aim was to install an interim board at the EGM, led by former VFF president Paul Weller, which would help stabilise the federation’s finances and then run elections, overseen by the electoral commission, within six months.

Mr Weidemann said he would be heading to Melbourne on Monday to deliver the EGM motion to the VFF’s head office, subject to a potential meeting with its board.

“We’re looking at substantive changes in the board to allay lodging the EGM resolution,” Mr Weidemann said.

Mr Hosking said members were angered and frustrated with the current board’s decisions, such as cashing out the Grain Group’s $9.8 million deed poll fund to pay off borrowings, cutting commodity staffing and failing to engage with farmers.

The VFF lost 844 members last year, according to its own financial reports, while borrowings soared from $4 million in 2018 to the current $8.2 million.

“It’s got to come to a head,” Mr Hosking said. “Once we get the signatures it goes to the VFF.”

He said grain growers were now trying to liaise with VFF dairy and livestock members to gain their support.

VFF president Emma Germano said: “While any member of the VFF that meets the constitutional requirements can rightly call for an EGM, the VFF board completely rejects the premise of the resolution.”

Yet board members confirmed they had not accepted or rejected the premise of the EGM.

“The board can’t reject it, because the board hasn’t considered it,” one board member said.

Ms Germano refused to answer a question on how she could claim the board rejected the premise of the motion, without it being put to any vote.

But she did state “the VFF is now in its strongest financial position in years, having paid down debt, reduced unnecessary expenditure, moved away from using debt to fund operations and has turned a much-needed operating surplus. We have been completely transparent on that,” Ms Germano said.

“This vocal minority, while they are entitled to have their say, does not reflect the thousands of VFF members who loud and clear voted for change and transformation over the past four years.”

The VFF’s United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Mark Billing said he was “watching with interest to see what happens with this EGM”.

While not convinced spilling the board would fix the VFF’s problems, he said there was frustration with how “we’re being told what’s happening, rather than being involved in decisions that directly affect the commodities”.

VFF Livestock Group president Scott Young said he did not wish to comment until he had gathered more information on the EGM proposal.

THE ST ARNAUD RESOLUTION READS: “We the members of the Victorian Farmers Federation call for an Extraordinary General Meeting as per Item 13.4.1 of the VFF Constitution with the express purpose to remove the current board”.

Actions to be undertaken if the EGM process is successful:

SUBJECT to the removal of the VFF board, an interim board of four to be put in place for six months, with the intention to stabilise the finances and run a total election process;

THESE people will seek representation from each commodity to re-establish the VFF Board and Property Trust directors;

ESTABLISH a VFF constitutional review;

A REVIEW to look at commodity autonomy arrangements within the VFF constitution;

VFF financial allocations and process;

CONSIDER Farrer House’s future and options ongoing;

INVITE all other commodities to be involved in the process;

INDEPENDENT EGM process facilitated by the Australian Electoral Commission;

NEGOTIATING group as required, Brett Hosking, Andrew Weidemann, Ash Fraser;

EGM to be held in Bendigo as it is central to all VFF members.

Victorian Farmers Federation hits borrowing limit