POLITICIANS and government departments have been warned to lay off Australian Wool Innovation.
The warning, from Australian Wool Growers Association chairman Martin Oppenheimer, comes amid suggestions AWI should have a skills-based board instead of an elected board.
AWGA backed the current election process.
"There is a clever media campaign against the current democratic election system at AWI," Mr Oppenheimer said.
He said he agreed with Agriculture Minister Tony Burke's reluctance to intervene in the affairs of AWI beyond the scope of the current Productivity Commission inquiry.
"Any intervention beyond this scope would permanently damage the research and marketing of Australian wool and may end the current revival in confidence of Australian wool growers," Mr Oppenheimer said.
Mr Oppenhiemer's comments follow a tumultuous three months for AWI, which has seen the departure of three senior managers, including chief executive Brenda McGahan, and changes to its marketing.
Mr Oppenheimer said the majority of growers didn't support structural changes and they wanted the right to elect their board representatives.
WoolProducers Australia, the peak grower group, declined to comment on the AWGA support for the current election process.
One senior industry leader who waded into the debate was former AWI director Dr John Keniry. In his capacity as wool grower, rather than as a chairman of the Sheep Co-operative Research Centre, Dr Keniry advocated the appointment of two or three professional, independent directors to the board.
Dr Keniry said such appointments were needed to install and maintain appropriate governance standards and increase the board's skills base.
