WoolProducers Australia (WPA) is looking for a new chief executive officer as it strives to rebuild trust and credit with wool growers around the nation.
WPA President, Richard Halliday, confirmed to Stock & Land that the board “parted company” with CEO Jane Brownbill before Christmas.
“We’ve got a bit of work to do about working through with the board and staff on roles and responsibilities,” Mr Halliday said.
“We need to build unification of the wool industry.
“It appears we have let ourselves down with some of our key stakeholders.
“We need to stabilise the organisation and work together. We want to hear from our state farming organisations about what they want us to do.
“For WPA it’s business as usual. It’s not really a case of whether she [Jane Brownbill] fitted or not. We parted company,” Mr Halliday said.
Acting CEO, Jo Hall, began in her new role on December 19, stepping up from four years as health and welfare policy officer with WPA.
“We’ve got some image work to do with growers and their representative bodies,” she told Stock & Land.
“I will ensure WPA operates as efficiently and effectively as it can for wool growers.”
Mr Halliday, who was elected president in November last year, said the board would spend some time discussing what type of CEO they wanted for WPA before advertising the position.
When she was appointed to WPA in September 2011, then president Don Hamblin said Jane Brownbill would be able to advance the interests of wool growers with her wide experience with industry associations and dealing with parliamentarians and officials.
Ms Brownbill was a founding member of AgriFood Skills Australia, responsible for developing training packages, and business development manager with Carers Australia.
But she had not previously held a CEO or equivalent role in a farmer-driven industry body; and without lanolin on her hands some have questioned if she could imbue WPA members to believe she valued and could represent their interests.
Ms Brownbill may also be the victim of a need for regime change with a new president and younger members on the WPA board.
Issues on the table for wool producers include action against wild dogs; continuing the live export of sheep – against concentrated lobbying from animal welfare activists domestically and from overseas; and the health and welfare of Australia’s livestock – including awareness of domestic and global disease issues and local stock handling skills.
In 2012, as WPA CEO, Ms Brownbill was interviewed about mulesing and stated she believed all wool producers would eventually stop the practice. This is still a controversial issue in the industry.
She has been an active participant in negotiating for a National Wild Dog Action Plan, with ownership by government departments as well as industry groups; a plan that considers environmental as well as social and economic impacts.
In September last year, Fairfax Agricultural Media reported WPA had given the wool industry a far from glowing report in its annual review, with lacklustre prospects for superfine wool and wild dog predation both major concerns.
Ms Brownbill said then the superfine sector was of particular concern as the "persistently low price for the high quality, luxury fibre was actively working against farm families" and reiterated the message from the Superfine Industry Review that growing superfine and ultrafine Merino wool was currently not viable.
"This challenge must be accepted and a concerted effort across the industry is required to ensure the continuation of committed growers producing this product," she said.
But committed growers of superfine and fine Merino fleeces are still waiting to reap their just rewards.
WPA also reconfirmed its opposition to the proposed introduction of mandatory electronic identification of sheep; other industry bodies, Sheepmeat Council of Australia and Australian Livestock and Property Agents, supported retention of the current mob-based identification system.
However, given Australian Wool Innovation had withdrawn funding to the Sheep CRC’s successful programs, WPA members could have felt they were being unfairly expected to provide a bigger portion of the necessary funds.
Wool growers have been voicing concern for some time now about the lack of differentiation between micron and bale sizes, which is an important factor given it is a significant portion of their income.
Given that, they would be advocating to the Board for CEO representation on the issues that matter to them.