WALGETT Special One Co-operative chief executive officer and pool manager Ed Colless has resigned.

It comes after the co-operative announced last month it was unlikely to make the last payment to growers who delivered wheat to its 2010-11 pools through subsidiary Walgett Special One Grain.

WSOC is believed to have made losses of more than $10 million on the pools, which was made up of mostly lower quality wheat after floods affected harvest.

Co-operative chairman Neil Warden said Mr Colless was on "sick leave" when he wrote to growers last month to advise them the board did not anticipate further payments to growers.

One grower, who did not want to be named, had lost about $120,000 to $140,000.

Growers were expecting a final payment of about $50 a tonne in May.

The WSOC board has appointed Rebecca Reardon as acting CEO and Anthony Fitzgerald as 2011-12 season pool manager.

Mr Colless' resignation was effective from last Friday.