Cattle Australia has launched a campaign to change the way the Meat & Livestock Australia board selection process works.

This Thursday, at the MLA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Adelaide, Cattle Australia is recommending producers support a simple but important change to the MLA Constitution.

Currently the MLA Constitution requires the Selection Committee to put forward only one candidate for each MLA Director vacancy, meaning levy payers never get the chance to vote for more than one candidate, even when there are several nominations for the role.

“As the Cattle Australia representative on the Selection Committee, I can confirm that while the process is rigorous, there are times when the committee is split between two exceptional candidates and under the current rules, levy payers are denied the opportunity to choose,” Garry Edwards, Cattle Australia Chair said.

At this year’s MLA AGM Cattle Australia is moving an amendment to have the MLA Constitution changed to allow levy payers the opportunity to vote on Directors.

“This is the first time producers have had the opportunity to change the MLA board selection process, despite calls for this change for many years,” said one industry participant.

What is Cattle Australia seeking to change?

• Replace the words “must not” to “may”
• This allows the selection committee the option of giving levy payers the opportunity to vote on candidates
• This will likely be used where the selection committee is split on its decision with more than one exceptional candidate for a vacant Director role

Beef Central understands that previous MLA board vacancies have attracted dozens of nominations in the past, but producers have not been able to vote on candidates other than the recommended nominees put forward by the Selection Committee.

Some producers have the expressed the view that the Selection Committee should determine a shortlist of applicants that producers would then vote on for board positions.

However, this amendment by Cattle Australia would not change the selection process but would instead ensure that in cases where the committee cannot reach agreement, the final decision would come from a vote from levy payers.

“It may not always be the case that a vote is needed as the selection committee process is very robust in its nature, but there are circumstances where the committee does not always agree,” Mr Edwards said.

“In these circumstances Cattle Australia believes that one of the options that should be available to the selection committee is to put the selection of highly qualified candidates to the vote at the AGM.”

Cattle Australia said the MLA Board could use its proxies to vote against this amendment which would block levy payers from having a future vote on MLA Directors and if that were to happen, it would fall to individual producers attending or voting by proxy to carry the resolution.

All MLA members are entitled to vote in person at the AGM on Thursday, online or through an attorney or proxy. For more information on how to vote click here.

“Cattle Australia is committed to ensuring levy payers have a transparent, meaningful say in the governance of our industry,” Mr Edwards said.

“This small change will strengthen accountability and give producers the voice they deserve.”