Members encouraged to vote in favour of Cattle Australia

Livestock SA is encouraging its cattle producer members to vote in favour of endorsing the new Cattle Australia constitution at a Special General Meeting to be held on Tuesday next week (4 October).

Cattle Council of Australia (CCA), the current peak industry body for cattle producers, will transition to Cattle Australia should the new constitution be endorsed at the SGM.

As the new representative peak body for grass-fed cattle producers, Cattle Australia will elevate national policy priorities and advocacy efforts.

Livestock SA president Joe Keynes said endorsing the Cattle Australia constitution was an opportunity to end the distracting 10-year discussion about the structure of the cattle industry’s peak body.

“A thorough and inclusive process has been conducted over the past two years and major concerns with the CCA structure have now been addressed,” he said.

“Cattle Australia, the entity that will succeed CCA, will have a governance structure that allows for the democratic election of its leaders.

“Livestock SA and other state farming organisations will be sacrificing control over the organisation in the interest of individual cattle producers and the industry.

“However, Livestock SA will continue to play a key role in Cattle Australia by remaining a member, continuing to provide the grassroots network for SA producers elected to the board and policy council, and continuing to help develop the policies and the people needed to lead the national and international agenda for the cattle industry through Cattle Australia.”

Those who elected to be a member of CCA as part of their Livestock SA membership will have received a notice about the SGM, which will be held online, and are eligible to vote.

Mr Keynes said Livestock SA members would continue to benefit from Cattle Australia as the status quo on membership would remain.

“That means anyone who is a member of Livestock SA will automatically be a member of Cattle Australia if they have previously chosen to be a member of CCA,” he said.