AgForce CEO Michael Guerin will leave the body later this year.

PEAK Queensland farmer body AgForce has announced the impending departure of its chief executive officer Michael Guerin after more than eight years in the role.

AgForce today said Mr Guerin will step down from his leadership role later this year and it will soon start the process of looking for his replacement to ensure a smooth transition to the new appointee.

Mr Guerin, 58, said he had no idea where he was headed, although he would like to stay in the industry.

“I’m very proud to work for an organisation that is very strong and thinks about important things like good transitions.

“I am serious about finishing well as I can and hopefully staying somewhere in the industry,” he said.

“I might be overseas, I don’t know, I haven’t lived in a placed I didn’t enjoy yet.”

He said it had been an absolute privilege to lead such a powerful and purposeful organisation that truly represented Queensland farmers across a diverse range of agricultural industries.

“Producers are an amazing group of people, they play a critical role in food and fibre security and are the unsung heroes in environmental management.

“They form a critical element of the social fabric of regional and rural Australia and deserve a strong voice in decision making circles where they have much to offer,” he said.

“I’m proud that I was able to help their collective voice to be heard that much louder in critical government decisions about their future.”

AgForce general president Shane McCarthy paid tribute to Mr Guerin’s strong contribution and leadership in his eight years in the role and to his substantial impact on the organisation and industry during this time.

“Michael has been our longest serving CEO and leaves the organisation in strong shape and with our collective best wishes.

“He leaves knowing the organisation is in a great position thanks to the many pivotal decisions and achievements he made in his time at the helm,” Mr McCarthy said.

Mr McCarthy said the growth of AgCarE from what started as an idea at an AgForce incubator to a world leading program that enables farmers to capitalise on their natural capital assets is a great credit to Mr Guerin’s leadership.

“So much so that he personally took it to the World Farmers Organisation in Geneva to tell them about how it’s success could be applied around the world.”

Mr McCarthy said the battle to save the Great Artesian Basin from mining was also largely led by Mr Guerin and the protections it now enjoys are a credit to his leadership in that difficult space.

“Other main achievements such as the launch of the AgForce Training Joint Venture and a significant influence on national policy matters in areas such as EPBC Act reform attest to the depth and breadth of his accomplishments.”