Harrisville dairy farmer Paul Roderick step into his new role as chair of Dairy Australia board in November after being elected last week.
Dairy Australia announced current chair James Mann confirmed he would officially retire after nine years as a director including four and a half years as chair and backed Mr Roderick’s appointment.
“Paul’s contributions so far during his time on the board have been deeply valued, and I am confident his extensive knowledge of and passion for dairy will make him an outstanding chair,” he said.
“Designating Paul as chair-elect provides a seamless transition as we continue to deliver for farmers and work towards developing Dairy Australia’s next five-year strategic plan.”
Mr Roderick said his predecessor had contributed greatly to Australia’s dairy industry by championing strategies and activities that supported the profitability and sustainability of dairy farmers.
“I’m grateful for the board’s support and confidence in becoming the chair-elect, and I’m excited for the opportunity to build on James’ legacy by driving strategies that further advance dairy farm businesses and the profitability of our industry.”
First elected to the Dairy Australia Board in November 2020, Mr Roderick has operated his family dairy farm at Harrisville in South-east Queensland for more than 30 years.
Dairy Australia said he had held a number of industry roles including chair of Subtropical Dairy and was involved in establishing the Young Dairy Network in Queensland.
Mr Roderick said he was focused on making sure farmers were getting the most out of the service organisation.
“For me, the focus is on a connection with farmers so every farmer feels that the levy they pay is being spent well firstly and they understand it and get value out of it,” he said.
“We’ve got a new strategy to get down driveways and talk to farmers, meet them where they’re at. To me that’s really important.
“There’s all the business of doing what Dairy Australia does, the governance, the matching funds from government, all those things have to be done but at the end of the day if we’re not creating value for dairy farmers then there’s not much point doing any of it.
“It’s bringing what they need to them, when they need it and that’s quite different.
