Two-way battle for Feds dairy chairmanship

Two Federated Farmers provincial presidents have thrown their hats in the ring: newly-elected Waikato president Philip Sherwood and North Canterbury president Karl Dean.

The current chair Richard McIntyre is stepping down after three years in the role.

It's not uncommon for the national dairy chair to go onto become the Feds' national president. Current Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard served as national dairy chair before taking over the presidency. Current president Wayne Langford, a Golden Bay dairy farmer, also served as dairy chair. However, McIntyre, who also serves on DairyNZ board and Wellington Fish and Game Wellington Council, has decided to step down.

Dean has previously served as the provincial dairy chair and has been provincial president for two-and-a-half years.

Farming at Leeston by the shores of Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, Dean was last year given the title of Feds' "Advocate of the Year" in recognition of the work he has put in as a public face of farming, putting farmers concerns out in the national media.

Dean says he is standing for the national dairy chair because he has enjoyed giving back to the dairy industry group and giving a voice to dairy farmers.

He says it would require him to step down as provincial president as well as a couple of other smaller positions, due to the time commitment required for the role.

Dean sees the role as being the representative for all the country's dairy farmers and he's not jsut standing because he feels the south has been underrepresented.

"It comes with the ebbs and flows. Five or six years ago, there were very few sitting around that board table that were from the South Island."

Sherwood is a third-generation farmer, milking 550 Jersey cows in Matamata. He has also served as the deputy chair on Rabobank's Upper North Island Client Council.

Philip Sherwood

Federated Farmers is not commenting on the contest.

However, Dairy News believes that it's not the first time there has been a contest for dairy chair, but it is the first time in a very long time.

The Feds annual meeting will take place at the Primary Industries NZ (PINZ) Summit in Christchurch on June 24 and 25.

The summit includes the seventh annual Primary Industries NZ Awards, with eight categories.

"With tariff tit-for-tat sparking disruption and uncertainty in export markets, more than ever New Zealand needs the primary sextor to be innovative and enterprising," Federated Farmers chief executive Terry Copeland says.

"The PINZ Awards celebrate our primary industry movers and shakers - the science and food production teams delivering a market egde for our exported goods, the leaders who go the extra mile."