VFF exodus: UDV leaders resign in anger and frustration

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Mark Billing and most of his policy council have resigned. Here’s why.

The leadership of the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria has resigned en masse, in frustration at what they say are the ongoing failures of the Victorian Farmers Federation to staff and fund their commodity group.

UDV president Mark Billing and nine of his fellow policy councillors have resigned to form the new lobby group, Dairy Farmers Victoria.

Mr Billing said the group had held off launching DFV for weeks, in the hope the VFF leadership would listen to their pleas for more of the $950,000 in dairy farmer levies to go to dairy advocacy and for greater co-operation on engaging members.

“We gave them ample opportunity to talk, but they wouldn’t sit down with us (policy council),” Mr Billing said.

Peter Hunt, The Weekly Times, 26 September 2023.

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