The application for an extraordinary general meeting, in which a motion was to be called to remove Ms Germano and vice-president Danyel Cucinotta from their positions, was rejected by the VFF board.
A similar application for an EGM was rejected in June.
Although coy during recent weeks while events unfolded, Ms Germano appeared to be keeping her ‘powder dry’ by waiting until after the response deadline before speaking to the media.
“Once again these people who are saying we have got the governance wrong keep getting their own governance wrong,” Ms Germano said.
“It’s not my job to help them get it right.”
The VFF constitution has no mechanism by which a president or vice-president can be replaced through an EGM.
Ms Germano said the process to remove either of the incumbents is through a vote of no confidence, whereby convention would see those in leadership positions then step down.
Further criticism has targeted the lack of consultation between the board and individual commodity groups and lack of response from VFF head office to member inquiries.
Ms Germano told Country News these claims did not reflect the renewed VFF and said 75 per cent of members supported the changes.
“This is in response to the majority of members’ feedback and allows the VFF to be a modern organisation that delivers,” she said.
The dispute within the VFF is based on Ms Germano and the board seeing the need for shifting the federation’s lobbying practices towards a model that advocates more generally for all agricultural commodities as one body.
The past and current model has the VFF divided into eight agricultural commodity groups, each of which have their own council, some members of whom are on the VFF board.
Advocacy is mostly undertaken for individual commodities.
Ms Germano said she has focused her effort on the proposed constitutional changes necessary for modernising the group, rather than defending spills, and said the upgrading of processes and advocacy strategies reflected an environment “completely different” from 20 years ago.
“If we don’t wake up, we are going to see that we’ve got it coming at us from every single angle in agriculture.”
Ms Germano rejected claims that the recent members’ survey had been designed with leading questions, by saying that the feedback received through the survey will be used to tailor a second one.
She also allayed concerns over sponsors withdrawing their support of the organisation.
“No, in fact the VFF is signing on new commercial partners,” she said.
Ms Germano said there was “no question” that the issue had become personal, with members describing her as a bulldozer and lightning rod.
She referred to some exchanges as being childish and rejected personal attacks on her for her seeing the need for what she says is “prudent and responsible” governance.
She cited Country News’ description on Tuesday, September 6 of the attempted spill as being the “end game” for some dissatisfied members and said actions reported by the media were damaging individuals and the organisation.
“My end game here is to make sure that we’ve got an organisation that can fight for farmers.
“If in the long run we get to the point where the members don’t support it, it will be the members who have decided that.
“It’s not for a pocket of less than five per cent of the membership to run a coup.”
35°C