THERE was a consistent theme at the Grain Growers Association meeting in Albury last week: that the company was not communicating well with its members.

A stream of speakers, mostly regional committee members, spoke critically of the way the GGA board and management had handled the plan to rid the company of its advisory group - the regional committee.

The regional committee, formerly known as the committee of advice, has been in place in one form or another for decades.

It is seen as the bridge between the board and the GGA's 17,000 members.

When it was known as the committee of advice, under GGA's predecessor Prime Wheat Association, and largely limited to NSW growers, it had 45 members.

But as GGA grew larger to cover Victoria and Queensland, the advisory group ironically became smaller - with 27 members.

Under the GGA board's plan, the regional committee would be cut to nine members covering three eastern seaboard states, while expanding into Western Australia and South Australia.

GGA chief executive officer Peter Flottmann said the new body would be similar to a Grain Research and Development Corporation regional panel, with members appointed, rather than elected.

GGA regional committee members were told there would be just six members covering the grain-growing regions in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

The regional committee members were not alerted to the plan to axe them until a memo arrived from chairman John Eastburn just days before Christmas, while some were still harvesting their crops.

Ordinary members were not told until an article appeared in The Weekly Times on January 20 - just one month before the annual general meeting.

Mr Flottmann told The Weekly Times regional committee members were aware six to seven months ago the committee was being reviewed.

What he didn't tell them was that the regional committee was to become redundant - a big difference.

Mr Flottmann also denied the management and board had a problem communicating with its members.

But a number of speakers at last week's AGM politely, but forcefully, told the board it was losing touch with its members.

The plan to scrap the regional committee was only going to further break the nexus between the board and its members.

Ironically, when the vote to abolish the regional committee was lost, Mr Eastburn said he had to go out and "explain it better to members".

There is a long history of the GGA board not communicating well with its members and the latest episode indicates not much has changed, despite a total turnover of directors in recent years.