MIE Farmer Remits Defeated

29 March 2016

MIE Farmer Remits Defeated

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Chairman James Parsons says it’s time for the sheep and beef sector to pull together and focus on the future.

His comments were in response to voting results on remits put to the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Annual Meeting in Waitangi, Northland last week.
Electionnz.com who conducted the vote reported that two remits put by Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) failed.

In one remit, MIE sought funding from B+LNZ as it continues to seek structural reform. A second remit was for two MIE executive members to replace the processor nominated directors on the B+LNZ board. Both failed with 75% opposition to the first and 76% opposed to the second remit.

Parsons said the debate at the meeting was respectful and about the principles that underpin B+LNZ’s governance structure and priorities for investment. He also recognised that MIE is made up of passionate and committed farmers who are pushing for a better sector.

At the 2014 B+LNZ Annual Meeting 61.5% of farmer votes were supportive of B+LNZ providing funding to MIE.

Parsons said B+LNZ had provided around $297,000 to MIE - $40,000 of this was towards farmer awareness meetings when MIE first started up. An additional $20,000 was provided in April 2014 for MIE to develop a business plan and funding application, with clear milestones. Once approved in July 2014, $237,000 was provided towards the Pathways Report, and communications strategy.

“Clearly there are still farmers that want B+LNZ to support MIE, but most farmers agree with the board’s view that farmers’ levy investment should be focused in other areas.”

Parsons said while the voter turnout was 15.64% of the 17,027 farmers on the B+LNZ roll, it was largely in line with voter turnouts for an annual meeting, where there are no significant or major company transactions for farmers to vote on.

“I’m satisfied that those farmers who participated represent the views of the wider farming community.

“It’s now time as a sector that we pull together and focus on what we can agree on rather than the things we disagree on. Lamb returns are unsatisfactory and we need to focus collectively on putting things in place that we can agree on and that will future-proof our sector for not only ourselves but also the next generation of farmers.

“My call to MIE and all farmers is to respect that democracy has had its say and now get behind your elected directors and share your ideas constructively with us as we pull together for a better sheep and beef sector that we are proud of.

“The sheep and beef sector has big opportunities ahead that we can still seize, regardless of structural reform. They will only be grasped if we focus on areas of agreement, instead of arguing about our differences.”

ends

© Scoop Media