Meat Industry Excellence says it is ''not going to go away'' nor lessen its efforts to improve outcomes for sheep and beef farmers.
It follows the election of MIE-endorsed candidates Richard Young and Dan Jex-Blake on to the board of Silver Fern Farms, and Don Morrison on to the Alliance Group board.
Yesterday, MIE chairman John McCarthy, of Ohakune, said farmers needed to keep up the pressure for reform in the meat industry. The election results and strong lift in voter turnout sent a clear message that farmers wanted change.
The industry urgently needed a new model that delivered profitability and improved returns to farmers or there would not be a supply base to sustain the industry, Mr McCarthy said.
The next step was for both co-operative boards to come together to put forward ''full and open'' information about the risks and rewards of consolidation.
MIE, which was formed earlier this year, felt a sense of responsibility to maintain momentum in industry reform now that so many farmers had made an effort to become more engaged with co-operatives and ''make their voices heard'', he said.
The most heartening aspect of MIE's campaign had been the significant rise in participation by shareholders in the elections.
In Alliance Group's director election 49% of eligible votes were returned, compared with 25% in 2012, while in that of Silver Fern Farms voter turnout increased from 16.7% to 26.76%.
''Driving participation was at the core of what we set out to do.
''Co-ops are key to building a better industry around a co-operative model where farmers can lift incomes and build wealth in high performing assets,'' Mr McCarthy said.
He welcomed Silver Fern Farms' acknowledgement that farmers had spoken and that the co-operative wanted to play its part in advancing reform.
He hoped Alliance Group's board would listen to the requests of its shareholders and appoint Fonterra director John Monaghan as an independent director.
A non-binding shareholder resolution asking the board to appoint Mr Monaghan was passed.
Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairwoman Jeanette Maxwell was ''deeply encouraged'' by the surge in shareholder turnout in the elections.
''This tells me next year will be a massive one for the red meat sector, because farmers are sending a clear signal that they want forward momentum,'' Mrs Maxwell said.
Federated Farmers is due to this week release an outline of an options paper for reform of the industry. It contained some ''truly innovative'' ideas, she said.
• Silver Fern Farms' annual meeting in Dunedin today has now been opened to the media.
