Tony Burke takes the corporate line over and above ethical eating

Dear Reader, I don't think they get it yet. I don't think the Prime Minister gets it. I don't think the farmers and their organisations get it. And it has become patently obvious that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Tony Burke, certainly doesn't get it.

What don't they get? They do not understand, do not comprehend the interest ordinary, everyday Australians are taking in their food - its nutrition value, the way it is grown, who are the people who grow it, the impact of climate change upon it, and the impact of major domestic and international corporations on it.

It seems to me that the Australian government sees only major corporate entities: the farmers, their organisations; food distributors and manufacturers and their organisations; agribusiness and its organisations. Then there is that strange entity called "the consumer".

Now "the consumer" does not hold weighty conferences attended by all those listed in the previous paragraph plus agricultural researchers and economists. But, last time I looked, the consumer still had a brain, was still a sentient being, and is capable of making reasonable and clear decisions.

We see farmers organisations and their supporters drumming up the so-called "city/country divide". What is not recognised is the large numbers of Australians - who qualify only for the title of consumer - who have moved to the country to establish their own small holdings; who have built relationships with farmers - particularly through Farmers Markets; who are concerned with ethical eating and who are so supportive of the agricultural enterprise that they support drought appeals and angst together with rural residents over the mental health of the farming community.

Australia, with its mild climate across most of the continent, has always been home to keen growers of edible gardens. And most of these gardeners are trying to be organic. Many of them are keen students of permaculture and biodynamics. Lots of them could imagine putting Monsanto and Dupont on trial for agricultural and economic terrorism but instead support seed savers groups and heritage varieties of fruits and vegetables. They are learning not to damage Australia's fragile soils with excessive tilling and their no-dig gardens are multiplying day by day. Primary Schools are teaching children about food from seed to souffle in their own kitchens and kitchen gardens - often aided and abetted by celebrity chefs.

The Minister seems to be entirely ignorant of this movement that votes with its green and dirty thumbs. Why else would he have come out with these statements? (Please take time to read the comments!)

ABARE Outlook 2008 has been on in Canberra. The Minister made his views clear in a doorstop interview there:

REPORTER:

[Inaudible] campaigns against food miles, etc. Are you going to invest in advertising or is this something that you’re making comment about?

BURKE:
Certainly, with respect to the animal welfare campaigns, there’s been ongoing investment – and I referred to some of it today – in trying to make sure that we are not just at world’s best practice, but leading world’s best practice in overseas abattoirs and the destination points of some of our live exports.

With respect to food miles, I think we have to take, as I’ve said today, every opportunity to let people know and to let the consumers, both in Australia and internationally know – and I took the advantage today when we had international press here – to make it clear that food miles is a system deliberately designed to deceive. It does not provide quality consumer information and preys on the fact that a lot of consumers – and good on them – want to make sure that they’re doing their bit in trying to reduce carbon emissions.

The problem with food miles is that it takes one tiny [inaudible] of an equation and that’s their entire answer.

So clearly the Minister has a limited understanding of the concept of "food miles": of being near enough to your food to shake hands with the farmer; of caring about freshness and nutrition and value-for-money goodness; and of cruelty free animal lives.

Miss Eagle's solution to these sort of things is - organise. After all, that is what the major corporations and their hangers-on have done. But Miss Eagle looks around and sees organisation: the organisations devoted to permaculture and biodynamics and organics; the increase in retail outlets distributing these types of food products; the countless books, blogs, journals and websites promoting the good, simple, healthy and sustainable life.

Such a mind-set takes one beyond the suburban picket fence mentality and the four walls of a boxy apartment. It takes one into a wider world where nature is valued, treasured, and studied with a view to greater understanding.

Perhaps one day this understanding will reach as far as the board table in the Cabinet Room of Federal Parliament (who will water a Prime Minister's and Minister's edible garden?) and find a forum at ABARE.

Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry

Minister's Web Site

The Hon Tony Burke MP Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

PO Box 6022

House of Representatives

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

Tel: (02) 6277 7520 Fax: (02) 6273 4120

Email: Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au

Ethical eating: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Miss Eagle has just posted on Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle over at Oz Tucker. Pop over and have a read.

Horses - their Cup runneth over?

Bay Story crashing through the rails at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day 2007.

Bay Story was later destroyed: his loss of life another casuality of horseracing.

Photo: Getty Images published in The Age

The first Tuesday in November in Australia is the day when Australians stop for a horse race - the Melbourne Cup. This Melbourne Cup Day, at Flemington in a race preceding the Cup, a horse was destroyed.

The following story is from Crikey

The other - ugly - side of the sport of kings

Animal Liberation's Elio Celotto writes:



The horse racing industry in Australia is an extremely powerful and profitable business sector employing an estimated 132,000 people and making up 0.5 of our GDP. But is it ethical?



Each year the Australian horse racing industry produces approx 18,000 foals. However, only approx 30% will ever race. The majority are rendered worthless at a very young age. Well almost; they are after all "horse flesh" a term coined by the Racing Industry. And "horse flesh" is what these horses become. There is no sentiment for a racehorse that can’t run. Most are sold for a few hundred dollars; their final destiny, a European dinner plate or a can of dog food.



What about the racehorses that do race? In training, most racehorses spend up to 22 hours per day in a solitary stall. As a result of this confinement, most will develop neurotic behaviour.
As a result of not being able to continually graze which horses need to do to neutralise stomach acids, 90% will suffer from stomach ulcers. Nearly all horses will suffer from pulmonary bleeding (bleeding of the lungs) as a result of being forced to continually over exert themselves.
Contrary to what the industry will tell you, horses do not love to race. If they did, why are they whipped. Or do they love that too? Electric devices called "jiggers" are also sometimes used in training to force the horse to race on command.



The average racing career is less than 3 years. Why so short?



Owners want a return on their investment as soon as possible so most horses start racing as 2-year-olds despite the risk of injury. In human years, this is equates to a 15-year-old child. The musculo-skeletal structure of the thoroughbred horse does not fully develop until 4-5 years of age.
Eventually, virtually all horses succumb to injury and/or one or more of the many chronic conditions caused by their training regime and racing. When this occurs, ending their racing career, the high cost of keeping a horse means it makes commercial sense to "get rid of it".



Only a few will go into breeding and even then, they are only replacing existing mares and stallions which have declined in number by 20% in the last 5 years.



To exploit animals for human entertainment and keep them in conditions which can only be compared to a gaol, is abhorrent and a blight on our society which not only condones it, but supports it.

Cheezburger justice

We at The Trad Pad love this. Below is an excerpt that is worth passing on.