I strongly disagree with the way Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) and Dairy Australia (DA) propose to move forward on the Australian Dairy Plan (ADP).
There was no engagement in regards to the three committees before these were released.
When will the leaders learn to engage with the very people who help pay their salaries?
You can not expect people on dairy-related committees not to know about the appointment of people on critical working groups.
United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (UDV) Wannon's policy councillor - and others - requested this information in mid-July.
Why didn't levy payers receive the dairy reform issue four paper? Are dairy farmers mushrooms and being kept in the dark?
Three committees of seven people associated with processors out of 12 that include David Nation and David Inall.
The three that are left are directors of ADF-DA - or ex-directors - and all have been involved in dairy leadership throughout a period of diminishing production and advocacy.
The task is for transformational change. This is, again, undemocratic and is 'old boys club' protection.
God forbid that we had a clean-out of the crony club.
Why has the Gardiner Foundation, now left the ADP? Is it because processors are still in the ADP?
Is unification of the dairy industry still a pipe dream and what has the leadership been doing?
Talk fests behind closed doors and manipulating plans, while the industry decline continues.
We are, as they say, 'in step three industry and government engagement on reform challenges'.
I was told that 'they' were talking to government about the dairy reform opportunities back in June last year.
What have 'they' done since? They should have engaged both sides of politics, not just 'cosy-up' to Agriculture Minister David Littleproud to discuss how to deal with the 'annoying dairy farmer'.
What dialogue has happened with Labor in the past year?
The root of the problem has been ADF-DA's poor management, advocacy, and apparent lack of international business acumen.
Where are the meetings with grassroots dairy farmers that you 'need' to 'bring along'? Playing a game which you hope ends up in a 'no' vote and a game of smoke and mirrors which dairy leaders are complicit in.
Dairy farmers told you 15 months ago, via our regional ADP, what our expectations were. Now, where are the details of what processors want?
Enough of behind-closed-doors dealings, it is time to engage.
Everybody at high levels of the dairy industry talk about trust and we demand it of our UDV president. We demand he shows us the backbone he implied that he had at the UDV conference in 2019.
His silence, however, is deafening. Is this due to his position on the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) board?
At the very least, we need Paul Mumford to step down from the VFF board now.
Don't ever forget the processors and UDV were dragged kicking and screaming to put the Dairy Code of Conduct in place.
There is no trust shown there by processors, or UDV, but they ask us to trust and respect them.
Grassroots dairy farmers, say no. This is not an opportunity for more jobs for the boys.
Stand aside if you do not have the backbone to stand up for your grassroots dairy farmers - they are the people you are supposed to be representing.
