WoolProducers Australia has announced Steve Harrison as their new president and Stacey Lugsdin as vice-president.
The announcement follows WoolProducers’ AGM held in Sydney on November 10 where immediate past president Ed Storey, stood down after completing his maximum four-year term as President.
Mr Harrison thanked Mr Storey for his service to WoolProducers and the wider wool industry “Ed has contributed immensely to the wool industry over his tenure and oversaw a number of essential policy decisions and industry good programmes to take the industry forward”
“Some of these issues include the development of the Trust in Australian Wool campaign and the Sheep Sustainability Framework, both livestock and wool traceability reform, the end of a restrictive approach to OJD management and industry structural reform”, Mr Harrison said.
Mr Storey was farewelled at an industry dinner, with representatives from every sector of the domestic supply chain and all industry service providers from around the country, which is reflective of the high regard in which he is held.
The election of both Mr Harrison and Mrs Lugsdin set a number of new precedents for the organisation, with Mr Harrison being the first independent director of WoolProducers to be elected as President, the first time the President and Vice-President have both been independent directors and Mrs Lugsdin being the first female Vice-President.
Mr Harrison said he looked forward to working with Mrs Lugsdin, the WoolProducers Board and staff to continue advocating in the interests of all Australian woolgrowers.
A key priority of WoolProducers remains ensuring that all wool industry service providers are working together to serve the industry in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
An example of this collaboration is the establishment by WoolProducers of the Wool Traceability Working Group, which has been convened to oversee the implementation of the recommendations from the 2021 Wool Traceability Report and has already seen tangible outcomes from collaboration between service providers in the traceability space.
Mr Harrison said “I look forward to positively contributing to industry decisions and representing growers in key discussions with industry and other stakeholders.
-Wool Producers