The four grower directors – including Lockhart grower Roger Schirmer – resigned on Tuesday after AWB Ltd chairman Brendan Stewart asked for the A-class directors who opposed the recent changes to resign.

Peter Cannon, chairman of the Wheat Growers Action Group, which opposed the changes, told The Rural he believed the directors did what they could in trying to protect growers' interests.

“I think the directors that stood their ground did so because they thought growers would be worse off,” Mr Cannon said.

“I commend them for their stance and I think most growers would agree.”

Mr Cannon said he was very disappointed by the loss of the A-class shares, which were held by wheat growers and conferred different rights than those held by B-class shareholders, and said he believed their removal would pave the way for future takeovers.

“We feel two or three years down the track we’ll discover what we've lost,” Mr Cannon said.

“We’ve lost control of AWB. It’s not until we get a few harvests under our belt that we will be able to be strong players again.”

AWB Ltd succeeded in gaining sufficient support to scrap its dual-class share structure, on its third attempt, after A-class shareholders voted at a meeting in Melbourne last week.

The vote was carried by 77 per cent of voting A-class shareholders with more than 44 per cent of A-class shareholders participating in the vote, up from 22 per cent in a previous meeting two weeks ago.

AWB says ending its dual-class share structure will make it easier for the company to compete in the deregulated wheat export market.

Mr Stewart said last week that the end to the A-class shares meant that seven A-class directors on AWB’s board of 12 would have to retire at an extraordinary meeting to approve a new commercial constitution later this year.

But Mr Stewart said the board members who opposed constititional change should go now.