NSW farmers resigns membership from national commodity council

NSW Farmers has resigned its membership from a national commodity council, while backing calls for more efficient farm advocacy.

NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin. Picture: Tim Hunter.

NSW Farmers has resigned its membership from a national commodity council, while backing calls for more efficient farm advocacy.

President Xavier Martin said the state farming organisation has given notice to one of the peak national commodity groups that it would terminate its membership, having received a steep rise in fees.

“That’s a good example of the system not working,” Mr Martin said. “National commodity representation has been a longstanding issue … Farmers are used to reviewing and renewing what they do in the paddock all the time, so when they write out a cheque for lobbying and advocacy, they want value for money.”

The revelation comes a day after Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano wrote to six national commodity councils informing them it was relinquishing its membership.

“The VFF is currently addressing future organisational viability which requires us to focus solely on core business activities that align with the constitutional objects of the VFF,” she said.

“The Board notes that there is much duplication of effort on some issues, whilst others are missed entirely and believes that the current model of Australian agricultural advocacy has become ineffective and unsustainable.”

Echoing similar calls from the VFF, Mr Martin said NSW Farmers was supportive of a National Farmers’ Federation led commodity council structure, “not all these autonomous peak industry bodies”.

“To the extent that the VFF are under such duress that they’ve had to call time (on the commodity councils), we think it’s high time we had a more efficient and competent (advocacy) structure,” Mr Martin said.

Mr Martin said he expected many of the other state farming organisations would end up following the VFF’s lead.

He would not share which commodity group NSW Farmers has left.

Queensland’s peak farming body AgForce was the first to quit a national commodity council when it gave Sheep Producers Australia notice of its intention to leave in December due to “a number of working issues” and no signs of amalgamation between SPA and Wool Producers Australia, which it sees as a natural progression.

NSW Farmers was among those who supported a resolution at the NFF’s most recent members council meeting last month to overhaul agricultural advocacy “as a priority”.

On May 18 a majority of members supported a resolution to act on the recommendations of a 2022 Australian Farm Institute report mapping the future of agricultural advocacy, which it described as rich in resources but riddled with issues.

The NFF will undertake a “desktop review” of the organisational, financial and governance structures of its own organisation, the six state farmer organisations and major commodity peak industry councils to understand “current state resource allocation”.

The findings of the review will inform a restructuring of agricultural advocacy “to deliver effective and efficient resource allocation through shared activities such as governance, administration and finance and policy and advocacy”.

“We were part of the recent NFF members council decision that agreed to make progress and one of the things about progress is when you’re moving to a new system you have to give notice to the old system,” Mr Martin said.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Ben Bennett said his organisation was still waiting on a letter from the VFF giving notice of its intention to give up its membership.

ADF is pursuing the VFF in the Supreme Court for lost monies - $500,000 in what it describes as outstanding membership fees - this year following months of failed negotiations.

Mr Bennett said the VFF’s move to relinquish its national commodity council memberships was concerning and had upset members who felt they were entitled to consultation beforehand.

“Members are bewildered at the lack of consultation. We, as the leaders of these organisations, are but custodians, the most important things are these institutions. If people want to change things, you need and must bring everybody along, it’s not a dictatorship. It is what it is, if you don’t like democracy, start your own organisation,” Mr Bennett said.

“For the VFF president to say it’s (the VFF) mired in duplication and other costs, is not fair. Process has costs. There are a lot of people who work very hard to ensure that membership voices are heard.”

Many of the organisations impacted were reluctant to talk about the matter. Some said it did not come as a surprise.

For years the VFF has struggled financially as member numbers have dwindled. Giving up its six peak commodity council memberships is envisioned to save between $480,000 and $660,000 a year.