A UNITED Dairyfarmers of Victoria working group has put at risk major constitutional reforms to the Victorian Farmers Federation.
The working group, appointed by the UDV's central council, has warned members that the VFF's corporate style of governance had led to a "situation where the UDV central council has little or no control over anything".
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One of the group's key concerns was that the UDV had lost its independence when it and other commodity groups were persuaded to hand over their financial and staffing independence to the VFF in 2002.
"(We) believe the proposed new VFF constitution will enshrine this emasculation of the UDV," the working group stated in its report.
The new VFF constitution is being sent out to members this week, in the lead-up to a members' vote on its implementation at an extraordinary general meeting on February 24.
A no vote from UDV members, who represent a third of the VFF's membership, would seriously jeopardise the constitutional reforms.
VFF chief executive Wayne Harvey refused to supply The Weekly Times with a copy of the new constitution.
UDV president Chris Griffin said the working group was established as an independent body, whose advice has been forwarded to the membership for comment.
"I'm leaving this issue in the hands of grass-roots members," Mr Griffin said.
The UDV working group has also set out the ground rules for any future restructure, including it becoming a state council of the nation's peak dairy farmer body, Australian Dairy Farmers.
The ground rules demand:
The dairy body that represents Victorian dairy farmers will control the funds paid or collected on behalf of Victorian dairy farmers.
The UDV's influence within an umbrella organisation should be reflective of the size of the Victorian dairy industry.
The dairy body that represents Victorian dairy farmers should be member-based - owned and controlled by dairy farmer members.
The Victorian president should be a dairy farmer and elected by Victorian dairy members.
Decisions of the dairy representative body will not be vetted or approved by any other body.
Top council of the representative dairy body must be able to set its own timetable for meetings to allow thorough understanding, debate, and decision-making of all pertinent issues and policies.
