SHEEPMEAT Council of Australia’s (SCA) current board will be spilled following dramatic changes to governance structure of the nation’s peak sheep body.
The SCA will operate as a non-profit public company called Sheep Producers Australia (SPA) by November, with board members selected on skills rather than representatives of their respective State Farming Organisations (SFO).
The current SCA board will be transitional until November where they can apply to the board selection committee.
These include executive members Jeff Murray, WA Farmers’, Allan Piggott, Livestock SA, John Wallace, WA Farmers, and board members Michael Craig, VFF, Chris Wallace-Smith, VFF, Mark Murphy, Agforce, Rupert Gregg, TFGA, Chris Kemp, NSW Farmers, Ron Cullen, NSW Farmers and David Boyle, Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA.
SCA chief executive Kat Giles said the revamp was “contemporary, modernised style, which will be able to represent producers effectively”.
The transition to the new company will take place over the next few months and is expected to be completed by November 2017.
Another change will see a policy committee established which will have representatives of each SFO at the table.
“In the old structure, you had people nominated to the table by SFOs and therefore felt obliged to that SFO,” Dr Giles said.
“Whereas through this structure as a policy committee and policy development process, they will be aligned to their SFO, (but) at the board level they will be there to work in the best interest of Sheep Producers Australia.”
Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Richard Norton said the move would lead to a more “skilled, organised and competent” peak industry council.
“I think the more leaders we have in the industry that understand global markets, understand the power of social media and understand the consumer, the better and more professional an industry we have,” Mr Norton said.
“If you are increasing the skills of the people applying to these boards, whether they’re direct elections or popularity votes… we’re working with the levy payer representatives, no matter how they come through.
“Sometimes I am told MLA shouldn’t have service agreements with peak industry councils - as if we are competing against each other.
“We have a strategic plan we set down and both work towards.
“It is not master and servant relationship, it is a professional mature business relationship.”