![GPSA chairman Garry Hansen and Agriculture Minister Leon Bignell sign the new SAGIT agreement at Parliament House. GPSA chairman Garry Hansen and Agriculture Minister Leon Bignell sign the new SAGIT agreement at Parliament House.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-agfeed/2151134.jpg/r0_0_1024_678_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
GRAIN Producers SA chairman Garry Hansen and Agricultural Minister Leon Bignell have signed a new agreement to govern SA Grain Industry Trust.
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Mr Hansen said the regulations, signed on Tuesday morning, would work well in a modern environment.
"This recognises the changes that have occurred in the past few years in legislation and the industry," he said.
The old SAGIT deed was signed at the time of the old Wheat Marketing Act. The new deed recognises GPSA as the grower organisation, and spells out the roles of trustees.
SAGIT chairman Michael Treloar said the agreement had been modernised and set out a clear direction for trustees, including their terms of office.
The deed enables the appointment of five trustees to the fund's management - four grower trustees and one government-appointed trustee.
"Previously a trustee was appointed for life, there were no set terms, so the new deed clarifies that," Mr Treloar said.
"The trust deed is effectively our constitution so it was good to modernise it and make some of those areas clearer."
The wheat marketing act was updated two years ago, which was when work on rewriting the deed began.
Mr Bignell said members of the trust and GPSA were on the same page on SAGIT's management, locked in through the deed.
"Having the sector in agreement means farmers can be confident SAGIT will continue its great work for grains research in SA," he said.
SAGIT is funded through a 30 cent-a-tonne levy paid by graingrowers and used for SA-specific research and development.