Back to Index of Opinions

All opinion letters must be accompanied by the writer's name, postal address and phone number. While the writer's name will be published these other details will not (unless the writer specifies). Opinions expressed on Farmnews are not necessarily that of Farmnews, or its writers. Farmnews reserves the right to edit letters for length, sense and for legal reasons.

Latest Responses (this topic): None yet...

Alliance Group board of elections

29 November 2007

I, along with many other like-minded farmers and business people servicing the rural sector, have worked behind the scenes for much of this year assisting the Meat Industry Action Group in highlighting the issues. But latterly my time has been spent assisting Mark Crawford and Jason Miller with their campaign in the Alliance Group Board elections.

When the topic of merging our two cooperatives came up earlier this year, unfortunately many farmers put two and two together and came up with six and some haven't moved on from there. Mark and Jason have said many times that the merger topic is now off the agenda. They have also said that they did not see the PWC report so cannot make recommendations based on this.

Mark and Jason have moved on from the PWC report and it's merger connotations but it is interesting to note that many farmers who are in favour of the status quo try to link them directly to it in an effort to thwart their election campaign.

I personally, was never for a merger, as I don't believe it would have addressed the real problems quickly enough to save our industry.

Mark Crawford and Jason Miller offer our red-meat industry the most exciting future. Both see marketing as pivotal and the key to success.

To perform at the top of our game on the world stage we have to be business savvy in our actions and globally aware in our thinking. We need to be consumer focused and broad minded and for this to happen it must start with our leaders.

Mark and Jason do not have all the answers - and it is naive of us, as farmers, to expect that of any leader. But what they will insist on is that people are sourced with the brilliance and specalised skills needed in the various areas to make our cooperative really move ahead.

As farmers we can continue to listen to our current leaders telling us what an amazing job they are doing but can we afford to keep listening to the endless spin? Need we keep asking ourselves: if all this is so wonderful why is all our hard graft only rewarded with $50 - $60 lambs? Left as it is, we are going to see more mini-styled co-ops pop up as more small groups of farmers band together fighting for a few more dollars at the gate. Or, worse, more meat companies forming to fragment our industry even more. Enough is enough! Positive change will only happen within our co-operative if new blood with fresh ideas are allowed in.

Alliance Group shareholders have the enviable position to be the first to make the statement on whether they want real and sustainable change. The outcome of the Alliance Group Board elections will flow through the whole industry and set the scene for our farming future.

- Trudi Baird
Feldwick