SOUTH Australia is likely to end up with two grain representative bodies - a situation many in the industry agree would be a worst-case scenario.
SAFF and Grain Producers SA are forging ahead with plans to be the voice for SA graingrowers.
SAFF effectively sacked its grains committee last week and called for new nominations.
In response, all six members of the committee wrote an open letter to South Australian grain producers in this week's Stock Journal. The letter outlines changes in the South Australian grains industry during the past 13 years and the need for a strong, united voice to represent grower interests. It also outlines their concerns about the direction SAFF has taken on grain representation.
SAFF Grains Industry Committee chairman Michael Schaefer said the group was "bewildered and disappointed" by SAFF president Peter White's call for a new Grains Section Management Group last week. He said the committee had been told it would remain in place until the SAFF annual general meeting in August.
"None of us will be standing for the new SAFF grain group," he said.
"This is the third time Peter White has sacked the grains committee, including two times in the past eight months.
"Every time the committee has been sacked, it's been at a critical juncture for the industry, times we were trying to get government or organisations to understand the problems within the supply chain and industry."
Mr Schaefer said SAFF Grains Committee had applied to the SAFF Board to fund a number of wide-ranging projects, such as developing a grain transport and logistics plan and continued representation to the State Select Committee on Grain Handling, but the projects had not been approved.
"The main message we want to get across, and that we have been trying to get across for six years, is that levypayers must have the ability to vote for their representatives and must have the ability to participate in policy, and that's what GPSA delivers," he said.
"It's my personal view that having two groups would be an absolute disaster because they could be played off against one another."
Mr White said he hoped to see a mixture of experience and "new blood" among the nominees for the new Grains Section Management Group.
While the group would be made up of SAFF members at the moment, at the group's AGM in August they would look to expand the involvement to those outside the federation.
Mr White said the idea that the grains committee would be in place until the AGM was an "assumption they made".
"We have always said one group would be the best outcome for growers and now SAFF is getting on with the job," he said.
"This will be the best-supported committee we've ever had in place."
Nominations for SAFF's new group close on February 24.
"Initially nominations will be open to all graingrowers who are SAFF members. That will be the first part of the committee," Mr White said.
"The second part will be representatives who don't have to be SAFF members, and that's a process we're still working through."
Mr White said SAFF and GrainGrowers would hold eight grower meetings at the end of March to introduce the new committee members, for growers to learn more about GGL, and give input into industry issues that need to be addressed.
Board member Gary Flohr said he was disgusted with the grains committee's dumping.
"I certainly wouldn't be nominating for a board position again and I won't be paying for another SAFF membership," he said.
*Full report in Stock Journal, February 16 issue, 2012.
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