Paragraph 43 Voting at General Meetings

Every question put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided either by ballot or on a show of hands, as the Chairman of the meeting may direct, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the ballot or of the show of hands) demanded by at least one-third of the registered producers who are personally present or who are represented by proxy at the meeting. If a poll is duly demanded, it shall be taken in such manner as the Chairman of the meeting directs. If the Chairman so directs the poll will be taken by a postal ballot of all registered producers. In the event of such a ballot no vote may be given by proxy.

On a ballot or show of hands every registered producer shall have one vote. On a poll, every registered producer shall have one vote per 10,000 litres of milk produced and sold by him to the Board or on which contributions were paid during the period of 12 months ending immediately before Vesting Day. Votes may be given either personally or, except in the case of a postal ballot, by proxy. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a ballot or show of hands or on a poll, the Chairman of the meeting at which the vote is taken, or in the case of a postal ballot announced, shall, in addition to his other vote, if any, have a casting vote which he shall be required to exercise.

The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointer, or, if the appointer is a corporate body, or other organisation deemed to be a single producer in accordance with section 12(2) of this Scheme, either under its common seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised.

No person shall act as proxy unless either he is entitled on his own behalf to be present and vote at the meeting, or he has been appointed to act as the proxy of a corporation, institution or firm which is a registered producer.

The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the office of the Board not less than forty-eight hours before the time of holding the meeting at which the proxy named in the instrument proposes to vote, and in default the instrument of proxy shall not be treated as valid.

Every instrument appointing a proxy shall, as nearly as circumstances will permit, be in the form set out in Schedule (1) to this Scheme.

The Chairman of the meeting shall have power to adjourn the same for any period, not exceeding fourteen days, for the purpose of enabling the result of a poll to be determined, and, if the result of the poll shall be announced at such adjourned meeting it shall be as effectual and binding as if announced at the General Meeting at which the poll was taken.