The dairy industry’s peak farmer body, Australian Dairy Farmers announced Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Stapley has resigned from his position.
Acting ADF President, David Basham, thanked Mr Stapley for his service over the past nine months, a period which has presented unprecedented challenges for the entire dairy sector.
Mr Basham said the team at ADF remained committed to providing targeted assistance for farmers and would continue to advocate strongly on their behalf.
ADF’s immediate and ongoing challenge is to maintain pressure on the Federal Government and Opposition alike to drive policy outcomes that provide dairy farmers with greater certainty about their businesses and the broader sector.
The vacancy created by the departure of Mr Stapley will be addressed immediately so that ADF can continue business as usual and meet the demands of the current challenges across the industry.
Mr Basham said the ADF Board had already taken steps to ensure that the role of CEO is well served in both the short and long term.
Contact has already been made with former ADF CEO John McQueen, now an industry consultant, to step into this important leadership role on an interim basis while the recruitment process is completed.
Mr Basham said he had every confidence that Mr McQueen would be able to step into the role as early as Monday morning and that there will be a smooth, effective transition so no time is lost in fulfilling ADF’s mission to lobby for a stronger future for Australian dairy farmers.