PEAK farm lobby groups have rallied behind Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) ahead of a vote next week on whether the research and marketing company should be wound up.
In the past month, representatives of Cattle Council, the Sheepmeat Council, the Australian Lot Feeders Association and NSW Farmers have used The Land’s letters pages to lobby producers to vote against a special resolution calling for MLA to be wound up before December 2011.
The resolution will be put to MLA’s annual general meeting in Launceston, Tasmania, next Wednesday, November 17.
To pass, it needs the support of at least 75 per cent of the votes cast.
MLA chairman, Don Heatley, said it was disappointing “minority groups” within the industry had chosen to pursue such a resolution rather than trying to help find solutions to some of the industry’s big challenges.
Mr Heatley said he hoped next week’s vote might put an end to the matter once and for all.
At previous AGMs, he said resolutions aimed at removing himself, removing him and the managing director, or removing the entire board had all failed.
“So if they can’t win this resolution to wind up the company, I’d urge them to take account of the fact the industry does not support what they are trying to achieve,” Mr Heatley said.
“It’s not the board of MLA who makes the decision on this resolution, it’s the industry that votes.”
While most have attributed the wind-up motion to the Australian Beef Association (ABA), the ABA claims less than half the 200-plus signatories of the resolution are ABA members and that discontent with MLA extends far beyond the ABA membership.
One of the non-ABA signatories, Laurie Dagg, who runs 70 breeders near Killarney in southern Queensland, said in his view MLA had had its day and needed to be replaced with a more streamlined organisation.
While he believed it had delivered in some areas, like its northern beef breeding program, he believes its marketing focus has been too concentrated on Asia.
Ebor producer, Ranald Braund, “Cloverlea”, is also backing the motion, saying he was frustrated by paying hard-earned dollars towards levies for “absolutely no return”.
“I went to a More Beef From Pastures day four years ago looking for new ideas and there was nothing new in it that wasn’t coming out of New Zealand in the 1970s.”
Mr Braund, who said he was not an ABA member, said should the motion be successful, the industry would need to look at a restructure rather than simply replacing MLA with a similar body.
Next week’s MLA AGM will also vote on three board positions.
Incumbents, Mike Carroll and Lucinda Corrigan, are both running for re-election along with first-time nominee, Mullaley cattle producer and former senior vice-president of NSW Farmers, Rob Anderson.
