STRAIGHT-shooting Graeme Acton says the Cattle Council's overhaul plan has identified exactly the problem with the organisation beef producers have known for years.
The Rockhampton-based beef baron said the Cattle Council needs to be congratulated for seeing the need for change.
"They've put it in a nutshell about where things have gone wrong - a lack of funding and a lack of appropriate representation," he said.
"Obviously they've had enough courage and capacity to see it as a problem, and now they're asking for wide industry consultation to help them get it fixed."
Mr Acton said he was encouraged by the plan's options for directly elected representatives, but he believed all should be elected, and not a hybrid model that would include members appointed by State farming organisations.
"I'm not criticising the work of the State farming organisations - what they do is very important.
"But the mechanism by which we elect the representatives to our peak cattle industry council is outdated and we need a new system that truly reflects the cattle industry of Australia," he said.
Mr Acton was organising a meeting of beef producers in Brisbane for the end of the month where the draft plan will be discussed. He said details of the meeting would be released soon.
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