MOVES are afoot to replace ousted Australian Beef Association director Lee McNicholl despite assertions by the man behind his sacking that the out-spoken Queensland beef producer is still only suspended from his position.
Former president John Carter, who spearheaded Mr McNicholl's removal from the ABA board, has told Queensland Country Life that finding a replacement would be decided by ABA directors within weeks.
Mr McNicholl's axing late last month sparked an explosive war of words that has engulfed the maverick beef producer organisation.
Scathing allegations that Mr McNicholl and former director Rob Moore levelled at the ABA leadership in the immediate wake of the dismissal action have escalated into open hostilities between ABA members and their sympathisers.
Angry comments that were confined to a niche online chat forum less than 10 days ago have now spilled onto the mainstream website, farmonline.com.au, owned by Rural Press.
The furious exchange between signed and anonymous sources was posted in response to an article published in last week's QCL, and subsequently posted on the Rural Press news website, revealing the messy ABA stoush.
The vitriolic tone of the attacks, mainly targeted at Mr Carter, suggests the rank and file members' level of dissatisfaction with the ABA leadership, and divisions at the upper level may run deeper than initially reported.
One post bearing Mr McNicholl's name said: "I also take this opportunity to once again invite those directors of the ABA who wish to impugn my reputation from the coward's corner, that is their paranoid current board, to do so by publicly detailing their completely unfounded allegations." The post also refers to his detractors as "of the same spineless ilk that send white feathers in the mail".
Mr McNicholl's critics say he is hell-bent on destroying the ABA.
Mr Carter said he was aware of the comments on farmonline.com.au but would take no action against those responsible.
"People have said all sorts of nasty things about me in my time in agripolitics and I don't lose any sleep over this sort of thing," he said.
However, there could be more damaging revelations to come, with Mr McNicholl still to make good on his threat to reveal the ABA board's allegations against him that led to his removal.
He also has not ruled out revealing other sensitive information potentially harmful to the ABA leadership.
Comment for this story was sought from ABA president Brad Bellinger, who has remained silent since the conflict became public. Repeated attempts to contact Mr Bellinger were unsuccessful, as was an attempt to contact fellow NSW-based ABA director Kym Monkton, who left a message for the author of this article on Friday, without a return phone number.
At press time, Mr McNicholl was still on the ABA website as a director. Mr Carter said this was an "oversight".
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