Moree farmer Rebecca Reardon has been elected unopposed as the new President of the NSW Farmers Association at the Annual General Conference.
Ms Reardon is actively involved, with her husband, in their mixed farming business, with formal training in agricultural economics and extensive commercial sector experience. She has previously served NSW Farmers as Chair of the Grains Committee and an Executive Councillor and on the board as Treasurer and Vice President.
“My inspiration for stepping into this role is to get agriculture in NSW and NSW Farmers Association in a stronger place for the next generation,” Ms Reardon said.
“If farmers and rural communities don’t have a voice, they’ll be dealt a poorer hand.”
Justin Everett was also elected unopposed as Vice President. Mr Everitt is a mixed farmer with his wife Kate at their Brocklesby property in southern NSW, which has been in the family for three generations. Primarily focused on grains production, Mr Everitt has been a leader in the grains industry, serving as chair of the Grains Committee since 2021.
The three board positions were contested with six nominees putting their names forward. Current chair of NSW Young Farmers Jess Ryan from Harden and former Chief Executive of NSW Farmers Peter Comensoli from the Central Coast are joining the board while Cowra mixed enterprise farmer Ian McColl was re-elected to another term. Tenterfield Mayor and former board member Bronwyn Petrie was unsuccessful in her bid to be re-elected.
The orderly succession transferred leadership of the important organisation from Mullaley farmer Xavier Martin to Reardon in the first morning of conference, which included Mr Martin’s final address.
“Whilst I’d love to say that I’m stepping away with the job done, of course, that’s never realistic for our organisation,” Mr Martin said.
“As the world around us changes, so too does our industry and the challenges and opportunities ahead of our industry and farming families.
“There are key policy areas where I strongly believe our association must continue to strive for change. Biosecurity will remain an ongoing priority, with threats such as avian flu, lumpy skin, FMD, fire ants, and the burgeoning feral pest problem.
“The headlong energy transition, with its dreadful lack of planning, must also be treated as a threat and managed much more carefully, as transmission lines, renewable energy zones, and inadequate consultation continue to impact regional communities and productive farmlands,” he said.
Mr Martin also expressed concern about declining herds and flocks, bemoaned the power of supermarkets and current high level of deregulation, among the threats and issued farmers must contend with, and said the conflict over water use will continue to be a high priority.
“In an increasingly water-scarce environment, and governments focusing on buybacks of productive water, this policy area will continue to require high priority, particularly as uncertainty remains around the reforms, buyback proposals, and long-term ground and surface water security.”
“The flooding of recent years has proved to many of our members the cumulative dysfunction of public and private works across floodplains in almost every valley in the state, and the urgent need for review and response with likely works modification,” Mr Martin said.
The conference continues through Tuesday and Wednesday.
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