FEDERAL Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has told national grain groups to outline their credentials to be the industry's representative organisation.
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Grain Producers Australia (GPA) is the current industry representative organisation, under the Primary Industries Research and Develop-ment Act, with powers of the $160 million per annum Grains Research and Development Corporation.
GPA replaced the Grains Council of Australia (GCA) in late 2010 but has been forced to regularly defend itself in a long-running battle with GrainGrowers over its struggle to attract direct grower memberships.
GPA was outraged when Grain- Growers joined the National Farmers Federation's commodity council in late 2011 derailing moves to establish a single representative body.
In 2012, GrainGrowers' chairman John Eastburn publicly urged former Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig to intervene and break the deadlock with GPA over the organisation's function.
In response, Senator Ludwig said he'd received no formal request to choose between the two warring grains bodies and repeated his mantra that national representation was a matter for industry to resolve.
Backlash from the ongoing stalemate led to the National Farmers Federation implementing its Grains Policy Council last year, comprising GPA, GrainGrowers and State farming organisations.
But the council is yet to appoint an independent chairperson despite ongoing advertising of a $25,000 per annum salary plus an allowance for travel and incidentals.
The new body also has no permanent funding mechanism or constitution to allow it to step into the representative organisation's role.
GPA officially replaced the bankrupt GCA through a Deed of Company arrangement in August 2010 to represent the nation's 27,000 graingrowers.
Acknowledging the issue, Mr Joyce wrote to key players last week saying he had interest from several industry groups in taking the lead role.
He has asked the key groups for formal submissions so their credentials could be considered prior to any potential change.
The move has been made ahead of the NFF's grain council meeting on June 16 where there's likely to be heated debate.
Mr Joyce said he was keen to ensure the grains industry received "the best representation possible".
"It is always in the best interests of growers to have unified representation and widespread national support," he said.
NFF chief executive officer Matt Linnegar said the issue would be central to discussions at next month's council meeting given the Minister's letter had prompted a debate.
Mr Linnegar said the NFF's grain council had a temporary funding measure, could develop a constitution if directed by and was set to resolve the vacant chairman issue at the June meeting.
He also rejected suggestions a Senate inquiry into grains representation may be warranted, like the current inquiry into the $5 per head beef cattle levy, ordered by Mr Joyce.
"The best outcome is that industry sorts these issues out for themselves," he said.
GPA chairman Andrew Weide-mann said he was comfortable with the process.
"We've always said if there was another entity that can fulfill the role better, which has the respect and responsibility for the tasks needed to perform for the grains industry through the representative organisation, we are happy to step aside or work with the new group," he said.
"We don't see ourselves as a lifelong representative group for the industry and most of the industry knows that already."