GrainGrowers took part in the National Bush Summit in Dubbo, NSW, in late August. Photo: GrainGrowers

THE VICTORIAN Farmers Federation and AgForce Queensland have become the latest state farming organisations to join GrainGrowers.

They join NSW Farmers and Grain Producers South Australia (GPSA), which have also become GrainGrowers members and been appointed to its National Policy Group.

AgForce and the VFF have confirmed they will remain members of Grain Producers Australia (GPA), unlike NSW Farmers and GPSA, which left the organisation before joining GrainGrowers.

WAFarmers remains the last major holdout, after its Grains Council voted last month to reject an invitation to join GrainGrowers as an SFO member.

In early October, GrainGrowers members voted to amend its constitution to creates a pathway for SFOs to apply for membership of the organisation.

Membership would be free, but would provide a single vote and a place on the relevant NPG.

This contrasts with GPA’s membership model, which requires SFOs and growers to pay either a negotiated fee or a production-based levy.

AgForce Grains president Brendan Taylor said joining GrainGrowers while retaining membership of GPA would give Qld growers the strongest possible platform to make their voices heard.

“I think AgForce will see value in participating in both,” Mr Taylor said.

AgForce Grains president Brendan Taylor

“At the end of the day, it’s not about [GrainGrowers] and GPA, it’s about getting the best representation we can for…growers’ interests.

“They want to see unity and everyone on the same page and by being able to contribute to both policy councils is a step.”

VFF Grains president Jason Mellings said it could “only be a good thing for us to be involved in [GrainGrowers]”.

“They have got a lot of resources and they’re a great value to the grain industry and I think for us to be on that policy council with them can only be a good thing,” Mr Mellings said.

“I think the fact that we’re on both…we’ll be able to draw on the resources of both places and also add to them.”

Mr Mellings also praised GPA, saying the organisation did a “colossal amount of work”.

“I really cannot praise those guys up enough what they do; they are absolutely necessary.”

WAFarmers rejects invitation

WAFarmers has declined to join GrainGrowers, citing concerns about the organisation’s structure and culture.

In a rationale document provided to Grain Central and authored by WAFarmers Grains president Mark Fowler, the organisation said it “would not have adequate voting power to reflect the weight of members and tonnes of grain produced by WA as a proportion of national production”.

WAFarmers argued, for example, that it would hold just one of 20 votes on the NPG, despite representing about 3500 members.

It also questioned the benefits of joining both ROs if it had potential to “de-legitimise and undermine the role of [GPA] who we think has a better structure and governance to ensure that the interests of WA grain growers are faithfully represented.”

The document was also critical of the potential for non-grain growers to become members of GrainGrowers which, it says, “means that their decisions are potentially influenced by other interests”.

Calls for GrainGrowers to join GPA

Mr Taylor said AgForce’s official policy position on national representation in the grains industry was for a “single voice”.

As GPA’s northern region director, Mr Taylor said the ROs already worked collaboratively in some areas.

This included work on the Grains Sustainability Framework, as well as GrainGrowers representatives holding positions on GPA committees, including those covering pesticides and technology, and biosecurity.

He encouraged GrainGrowers to join GPA’s policy council, with a position open to the organisation should it wish to take it up.

GrainGrowers declined to comment when contacted about the opportunity to join GPA’s policy council.

Grain Central: Get our free news straight to your inbox – Click here