CATTLE Australia has elected two new directors to its Board, with Northwest Queensland beef producer Jane McMillan elected to a northern director position and New England’s Erica Halliday elected to represent southern Australia.

Jane McMillan

Cattle Australia’s AGM was held this morning as part of the CA Cattle Connect program in Wagga Wagga. See James Nason’s conference reports in Beef Central from Monday.

Mrs McMillan is executive director of McMillan Pastoral Co, a family grassfed beef business running Brahman and Brahman-cross cattle across 2.5 million hectares in North West Queensland and the Northern Territory from Corella Park Station near Cloncurry.

She is a Cloncurry shire councillor, deputy chair of Southern Gulf NRM, director of the Mount Isa Water Board Management and an AgForce Cattle board director.

Mrs Halliday is a principal of Ben Nevis Grazing Co and Ben Nevis Angus, a fifth generation seedstock business near Walcha on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.

Erica Halliday

The immediate past President of Angus Australia and Chair of the 2025 World Angus Forum, she is a Director of Rural Aid, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a member of Cattle Australia’s Regional Consultative Committee since 2025.

Cattle Australia chair Garry Edwards said the two new directors would give the board strong representation from across the country.

“Jane and Erica bring real on-ground production experience from very different parts of the industry, along with serious governance credentials,” he said.

“Jane’s long involvement in northern Australia, from local government to natural resource management and industry representation, and Erica’s leadership across the seedstock sector and rural communities will help ensure the Board reflects the diversity of grassfed cattle producers nationally,” Mr Edwards said.

Mrs McMillan said her family’s business, like every grassfed producer’s, depended on strong, united representation for industry.

“I want to bring the realities of producing cattle across northern Australia to the board, from biosecurity and workforce to land use, vegetation management and communications that our businesses rely on,” Mrs McMillan said.

Mrs Halliday said her time on the Regional Consultative Committee had shown her the commitment across Cattle Australia to a better future for grassfed producers.

“My focus is on listening to producers and making sure they’re heard loudly and clearly by policymakers and the community. Australian beef has a great story to tell about being part of the solution on climate and on the need for high-quality, nutrient-dense food, and with regulation increasing on our communities, farmers deserve a fair go,” Mrs Halliday said.

The new directors replace David Foote, who held the Northern seat and has retired at the end of his term, and southern NSW producer George King, who did not seek re-election after two terms on the Board.

Mr Foote led Cattle Australia through its establishment as the industry’s new peak body in 2023, serving as its inaugural chair before continuing on the board as Northern Director. Mr King has served on the Board since Cattle Australia was formed.

“David’s leadership as our inaugural chair laid the foundations for Cattle Australia, and his steady hand guided the industry through one of the most significant transitions in its history,” Mr Edwards said.

“His experience and judgement will be greatly missed around the board table. George has represented southern producers strongly from the very beginning, always putting the interests of the wider grassfed cattle industry first. On behalf of the board and our members, I want to thank them both for their contribution,” he said.

Source: Cattle Australia