Cattle Council of Australia is trying to get its hands on a greater share of producer levies which presently go to Meat and Livestock Australia.

The ABC reported yesterday that CCA wants 38c of the $5 transaction levy, which would need ministerial approval to help the beef industry peak council attempt to meet its members’ call for greater relevancy and to be a stronger voice.

The restructure and funding proposal is part of a leaked document, which includes a letter from CCA president Andrew Ogilvie to the different state bodies as well as broader farm sector organisations like the National Farmers Federation.

The proposal is part of CCA’s Beef 2015 and beyond strategic plan for the grassfed beef industry.

The industry claims to be worth around 1pc of Australia’s GDP. However, in asking for its members' views, there was a common view expressed that CCA and therefore the industry was not being listened to.

This was partly due to the Council being swamped by other farm groups pushing their message or that the cattle industry's concerns were diluted through bodies such as the NFF, which represents the wider primary industry.

The levy presently is distributed by the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry with a major proportion going to MLA's research and development arm, marketing, with some also going to Animal Health Australia and the DAFF residue survey.

CCA plans to meet next week with Federal agriculture minister Joe Ludwig and in an attempt to have the changes passed by the Federal Parliament before it rises and then heads to the September election.

CCA argues the rush has been prompted by the timing of MLA's November annual general meeting.

If the Council gets its hands on part of the money, it plans to use it in areas such as lobbying and also for greater scrutiny of MLA.

The changes would also lead to a restructuring of state representation, with the larger states such as NSW and Queensland losing a number of votes, while WA would increase, with one added to the present members from the Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) and the WA Farmers Federation (WAFF).

ABC said this move was supported by PGA president Rob Gillam who said in the past the council had been "strongly dominated" by Queensland in particular, along with NSW.

However, Mr Gillam admits that with the PGA ‘well-known’ for its opposition to statutory levies, the executive was ‘very divided’on the issue, and ‘finding how to settle this with our consciences.’

He was also critical of the narrow timeframe, claiming that it was such an important move that it needed more time for consideration.

WAFF meat section president Jeff Murray told ABC that at the end of the day, “it’s about getting everybody into the tent."

NSW Farmers Association's Derek Schoen said it was crunch-time, as rising costs were causing problems for the Council's operations and that it needed to look at other income sources.

He also supported widening CCA’s base from the traditional state farmer organisations.

Source: ABC