The Victorian Farmers Federation has hit a snag in its plans to streamline the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria by reducing the number of regions it covers.
Current UDV acting vice president Bernie Free and former president Mark Billing, who now heads Dairy Farmers Victoria, expressed concern that would mean a potential reduction in representation.
The VFF has called for nominations for the position of UDV president and policy councillors - following the mass resignation of council members.
But the VFF is seeking nominations for councillors for only three regions - northern Victoria, Gippsland and the south-west, rather than the current 10..
VFF chief executive and returning officer Brendan Tatham urged members to nominate and give a voice to local issues impacting dairy farmers.
"Victoria is the nation's dairying powerhouse and the industry is facing a host of challenges including impending changes to animal welfare laws, serious biosecurity threats, competition amongst the processors and changes to the Murray Darling Basin Plan," Mr Tatham said.
"It is important that dairy farmers have a united policy council that represents grass roots VFF/UDV members and that we get on with the job of advocacy."
But current UDV vice-president and acting chairman Bernie Free, Winslow, said he was being sidelined by the VFF leadership.
Mr Free said within the UDV the VFF wanted him to make decisions, "like a president" but outside the organisation "they don't wish me to do anything."
He said Mr Tatham would represent the UDV at the Gardiner Foundation annual general meeting.
"He is the VFF chief executive, which represents every commodity, so how are the best interests of dairy farmers served by a person that is not representing dairy alone?," Mr Free said.
Such decisions would only push more farmers into the new body, Dairy Farmers Victoria, he said.
'Whatever you like, they will not acknowledge that I am acting president of the UDV," Mr Free said.
"They (the VFF leadership) want to make it a corporation, not a federation.
"I have been kept in the dark, on everything."
He said on his reading of the current constitution, he should now be president.
He believed more proposed changes to the current constitution had been completed, but had not been released.
"They were available to the president weeks ago," he said.
"It leaves me as the vice-president where the VFF board is doing everything it possibly can to destroy the UDV."
Dairy farmers were one of the biggest contributors to the VFF and Mr Free said he had told the board the organisation was about to lose "a large chunk" of its current and future income.
"All their figures were that dairy farmers would have paid about $1200, on average, in average membership fees (a year)," he said.
"On the new subscription levy every one is going to pay $695 - half of what they were getting," he said.
"The fiduciary duty of the board is to make sure the organisation is sustainable - so how do they justify sitting back and allowing that to happen?"
He said the current Federal Court case, seeking to compel the VFF to hold an extraordinary general meeting, might well be lost.
"If that court case is lost, the indications I am getting is that the dairy sector will put up a 100 signature petition for an EGM," he said.
Mr Tatham said there was currently no UDV president to deliver the VFF's constitutional responsibilities for dairy farmer policy and advocacy, while the board made decisions and delegated authority to the chief executive regarding all contractual matters.
"The VFF welcomes the involvement of all Victorian dairy farmers in general dairy industry policy and advocacy priorities and VFF staff support these activities," Mr Tatham said.
"Now is the time for all dairy farmers to get involved and have a say about the future of the industry."
Former UDV president Mark Billing said at the organisation's last conference, in April 2022, a resolution that the number of regions be reduced was "soundly defeated" by the membership.
"It's UDV policy to remain at 10 regions," he said.
"I chaired that part of the meeting, it was a pretty resounding result, in that farmers felt they needed to have a broader membership, not just shut them into six people."
The constitution allowed for 10 regions, "but for whatever reason, the VFF is just - again - ignoring their members," he said.
"I think this - again - shows very clearly, why Dairy Farmers Victoria had to be formed, to enable proper representation for producers - because that's not going to happen under the current leadership
"The current leadership of the VFF aren't interested in listening to the members."
The VFF has been contacted for comment about Mr Free's concerns.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
