ALL West Australian Meat Marketing Co-operative (WAMMCO) members are being encourgaed to vote in the upcoming board election.
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Three nominations have been recieved by the co-operative for the vacant seat of retiring Esperance producer director Mick Quinlivan.
Active members of WAMMCO have been mailed ballot papers and background detail on three candidates who have nominated for the seat.
The three producers vying for the position are Tony Boyle, York, Donna Lynch, Hyden and Lyn Slade, Mt Barker.
Tony Boyle is a passionate livestock producer having spent 40 years producing crossbred and Merino prime lambs.
His knowledge extends to successfully managing an AQIS-accredited covered feedlot operation capable of finishing 50,000-100,000 head per year to both the domestic and export markets.
This feedlot facility is currently leased by WAMMCO International.
Tony has a sound understanding of abattoir technology, operations costs and efficiencies and has previously marketed lamb into Dubai, Qatar and Indonesia successfully.
Tony is currently a York Shire councillor, on the board for the Wheatbelt Development Commission and Avon Community Development Foundation and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Tony said if elected he is prepared to take individual grower concerns to the board level and aims to ensure WAMMCO remains not only viable but proactive in order to expand and satisfy the increasing world demand for lamb.
The second candidate is Hyden producer Donna Lynch, who has been actively involved with the family's prime lamb production and feedlot systems since 1999.
The Lynches currently turn off 2500-3000 prime lambs a year with a focus on quality and lean meat yield which has resulted in twice being awarded WAMMCO's Producer of the Month.
Donna is currently an active member of the inaugural WAMMCO Grower's Focus Group, a Justice of the Peace, a graduate and a fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, the chairman of the Rural Policy Committee of the Liberal Party of Australia (WA Division) and represents WA at the Federal Rural and Regional Committee in Canberra.
Since February 2010 she has been working closely with Austrade New Delhi, India, on developing agriculture policies of future trade between WA and India, which could be a lucrative market for WAMMCO.
If elected, Donna aims to ensure WAMMCO remains a dynamic processor capable of returning maximum reward to its members.
Lyn Slade and her family operate a prime lamb, beef cattle, feedlot and cropping farm near Mt Barker.
The Slade family turns off approximately 9500 crossbred lambs and 800 cattle per year.
Lyn's qualifications for director include a Bachelor of Business (Accounting), graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Co-operative and board experience as a director and current vice chairman of the Mt Barker Co-operative Ltd.
Lyn has been actively involved in the prime lamb industry for over 30 years and has the skills to be a strong producer representative on the WAMMCO board.
She believes the outlook for the sheep meat industry is very positive but the current low supply in WA will be challenging for processors and the board will need to be very proactive to ensure that WAMMCO is a viable and profitable co-operative for the future.
Lyn believes in the potential of the co-operative structure to deliver for members and for WAMMCO to be the processor of first choice and of maximum returns for both meat and skins for WA producers.
Voting for the board seat closes on Thursday, October 21, with the result to be announced at the AGM to be held at the New Lodge, Katanning on Wednesday, October 27, at 3.30pm
