New CEO at Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association
Peter Skillern has been named the new CEO of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA). Mr Skillern came to the role after former CEO Jan Davis retired.
Mr Skillern is a lamb farmer and has been the TFGA’s policy and advocacy manager for the past two years. After Ms Davis decided not to seek reappointment, Mr Skillern took up the role on an interim basis. Previously, Mr Skilern worked as a banker and has held senior roles with Environment Tasmania and the state’s Liberal Party.
“Being a former staffer with the Liberal Party does not put me in lock step with the Hodgman government, which has been proactive for farmers, and I see it as an advantage,” Mr Skillern said. “I am here to represent Tasmanian farmers who hold different and varied political views and I will work hard for agriculture in Tasmania.
Mr Skillern’s appointment at TFGA comes just a few days after the release of the latest farm confidence survey, which showed Tasmanian farmers are the mots confident they have been in the last 14 years.
“I farm and I am confident in the future of the agriculture in Tasmania. We are on the cusp of very exciting times for the farming community,” Mr Skillern said. “Those times will bring challenges but we must turn those challenges into opportunities. I will have a lower media profile than Jan David, but I believe it’s important to have our president and grower representatives out these talking to farmers.”
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