Dudinin woolgrower David Webster said if the current board is re-elected, the Government may have to appoint an administrator, which would further compound problems the industry was facing.

“This split in the board stems from the decision to sign the out of court settlement with animal rights group PETA in regard to the 2010 mulesing deadline,” he said. “

The signing off of that agreement is the key issue behind the board split.

"The money spent on that court case and the agreement struck has put AWI in a precarious position.

“If that agreement is broken then all hell breaks loose and that is why the split in the board is irreconcilable.”

Mr Webster said growers needed to be fully informed in regard to decisions made by AWI.

“We are getting to the point where a shrinking number of growers will become responsible for any commitments that AWI has made contractually or otherwise,” he said.

“Growers cannot be misled about that position, they need to be informed about what is happening and has happened in the past.

“AWI is at such a low ebb now that it is in danger of falling over.”

Mr Webster said other candidates – such as Laurence Modiano, Meredith Sheil, Will Roberts and George Falkiner - were all practical people.

“I do not believe some of the existing candidates on the board would know where to stand in the sheep yards,” he said.

“They have no idea of the practical problems, for example mulesing, that woolgrowers face.

“The truth is that 90 per cent of Australian farmers will continue mulesing because at the moment that it is the best thing for the animal.

“Ensuring the future of the live export industry is another big concern for these candidates.”