THERE have been calls for a Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) senior manager to be sacked after an inappropriate comment was made to a farmer during an agribusiness meeting last week.
DAFWA executive director Peter Metcalfe made a remark about handing out razor blades to a farmer during the meeting, which was being held to address the financial issues currently being experienced in the eastern Wheatbelt.
The comments were directed to Narembeen farmer Murray Dixon, who was at the meeting representing the Muntadgin Farming Alliance (MFA).
Mr Dixon was unavailable for comment before Farm Weekly went to press but MFA spokesperson Jeff Hooper said it was an extremely inappropriate comment to make, particularly at a meeting with representatives from all sectors of the industry in attendance.
"We are in full support of Murray," Mr Hooper said.
"We believe that the comments were wildly inappropriate and just go to show that DAFWA has no concept of the situation.
"That comment wasn't just made to Murray, that comment was made to everybody involved in agriculture in WA.
"We would much rather see (Mr Metcalfe) removed from his position and have somebody in there who is young and vibrant and has an empathy for agriculture and would like to work towards some solutions rather than take the complete rationalisation approach."
DAFWA director general Rob Delane said Mr Metcalfe would not be sacked and that he had spoken to Mr Dixon's wife Vicki on the weekend to apologise for the comment used and for the distress it has caused.
"The context in which the term was used was to shift group discussion which was becoming negative and redirect it to a more positive focus," Mr Delane said.
"More appropriate words could have been used."
Mr Metcalfe has made a personal apology to Mr Dixon.
