THE organisation claiming to be committed to 'cleaning up' Australia's beef industry is embroiled in a messy boardroom stoush that has claimed the scalps of two directors and left the rebel Australian Beef Association teetering.
Long-simmering tension among ABA directors, which prompted the walkout of south-west Queensland grazier Rob Moore two months ago, boiled over last week when vice-president Linda Hewitt and former president John Carter led an internal coup to expel outspoken Dulacca beef producer Lee McNicholl from their ranks.
Mr McNicholl and Mr Moore have since taken their views of the ABA to an online forum where they have called the workings of the organisation's top brass "schizo", "dysfunctional", "inefficient" and "childish".
During a string of damaging barbs levelled at the ABA's leadership, Mr McNicholl described the allegations which led to his removal as "rooted in paranoia" and an "outbreak of natural justice", indicating the ABA had serious questions to answer to its membership regarding its corporate governance and transparency.
Mr Moore described Mr McNicholl's sacking as "high handed" and worthy of an explanation to members.
The ABA's company secretary Sally Black then joined the public brawling, demanding Mr McNicholl delete his comments from the forum, because in her opinion he was in breach of the Commonwealth Corporations Act.
An unbowed Mr McNicholl has threatened to reveal his opponents' allegations against him if the details behind his removal remain suppressed.
A terse Linda Hewitt said she would provide no details on why Mr McNicholl was removed, except to emphasise that he had been suspended and not sacked.
"Mr McNicholl wasn't working within the guidelines of the constitution of the ABA and within the conduct of a board member.
"That's all I have to say - I don't intend to make a big issue out of it," Ms Hewitt said.
Mr McNicholl made no secret of his support of Australia's internationally acclaimed Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading system during his four-year term, putting him at odds with the organisation's key powerbroker John Carter, who has long advocated an alternative model.
In a statement provided to Queens-land Country Life, Mr McNicholl said he had grown tired of being MSA's sole defender within the ABA.
"John Carter was regularly critical of MSA during board meetings and would not correct 'horror' stories about MSA's erroneously perceived shortcomings when raised by ill-informed board members," Mr McNicholl said.
"It was always left to me to defend MSA and I got progressively tired of correcting misinformation."
Mr McNicholl admitted to "stridently" lobbying during ABA board meetings for "a more transparent, accountable and future-focused ABA, and improved relationships with the media through more professional and less vitriolic press releases".
He said he had also called for a succession plan, "so that the ABA could move post John Carter and recruit younger, knowledgeable board members who could operate without his constant background interference".
Mr Carter said Mr McNicholl was wrong to think the ABA opposed the science governing MSA. He said the ABA, in its 11-year history, had instead been calling for the MSA grading system to be carried through to consumers to provide "truth in labelling".
Mr Carter denied the current public battle would do long-term damage to the ABA, conceding that all organisations went through periods of upheaval.
Email a friend