Yabby, the level of exports from WA has rather more to do with the fact that it has by far the largest land mass, and is fortunate enough to have major resource deposits, than the "efficiency" or otherwise of farmers. And think tax breaks, diesel subsidies, drought relief, flood relief, and Centrelink benefits just for starters.

It is a matter of good fortune, nothing more. As for "thinking globally" if part of that is condemning millions of your animals to what you know is unspeakable cruelty, don't expect accolades from any decent, thinking Australian.

"Macropod Whisperer", it is quite clear that the person posting in that name is the same person who normally posts as 'PALE', just as recent posts by "TarynW" are the same. I did suggest that sharing passwords around is very poor business practice, but of course PALE cannot help itself, while criticizing others for doing the same.

Please spare us the theatricals about other people using pseudonyms. Most of us who have ever been in any form of exchange with PALE do so to ensure that PALE can never contact us directly - for obvious reasons contained in the deranged, abusive and insulting posts in the various threads here, and the responses from other people you have treated like you treat me. I can post some if you wish.

As for anyone else doing untold damage to the animal welfare movement, I think PALE can take the sole credit for having set back the movement decades through its undermining and denigrating the tremendous work of others in the animal advocacy community. PALE pays lip-service to farmers simply because it suits its agenda to do so in order to expand its slaughterhouse interests, nothing more. PALE would do deals with anyone, at the expense of anyone (including, and especially, the animals) to further its own interests. Other animal advocacy groups would never, I believe, want to profit from the slaughter of animals.

Nicky

Er Nicky, farmland is farmland. Efficent farmers can exist anywhere
in Australia. You will find that WA farmers are far ahead. Just
look at the no till story and many others. But then you know
nothing about WA, or its farmers.

So you think that fuel is subsidised? You mean we should pay tax
for not driving on the roads? For driving around farms? What
drought and flood subisidies come to WA? You clearly have
done no homework at all on this, just all top of your head stuff,
as you think that things are the same all over Australia. Think
again.

So you think that when a farmer builds a new shearing shed and
claims it over 30 years, that is a tax break? What about the many
taxes on inputs that farmers pay, to subsidise you lot? Yet we
sell mainly in third world markets, competing with the rest of
the world. Agro economics is clearly not your field Nicky.

It is just your good fortune, that you are born in a country like
Australia, which has such efficient farmers. Lets face it, if
WA seceded, as many still talk about, you would be living in a
banana republic.

Farmers sell their livestock. Alot are sold at auctions. It is up
to buyers what to do with them. If you are unhappy about some buyers,
you are free to buy them. Put up or shut up.

Gertrude, I have no confidence in you at all lol. I just think that
you weren't influenced by some of the crapola that people like Nicky
learnt, when they went to University and people like Singer were the
fashion of the day. Some got sucked in and even now, Nicky cannot
answer the hard philosophical questions. It is just so, because
she says so. Just like a true religious believer

Yabby, I was not born, nor did I grow up, in Australia. And why should you not pay for the fuel (and gas guzzlers) you use, regardless of where you drive them? It's not as if you don't already contribute far more to climate change than you should, farming livestock.

And in what way do you people subsidize us. for God's sake? It's our tax dollars that pay for your tax breaks, Centrelink benefits and fuel subsidies. Also, the fact that you cannot market your "product" effectively in Australia is what causes you to sell to "third world markets. None of that absolves you of the heinousness of exporting animals to the fate that you know they face, but do not care.

You people should think less about yourselves and your misplaced claims about what you contribute to the economy, and more about (just as an example) the displaced meat workers and THEIR families.

There is no justification for what you do and you know it. It just isn't worth going over the same old ground again and again, particularly with your self-adjusted view of the economy.

Nicky

*And why should you not pay for the fuel (and gas guzzlers) you use, regardless of where you drive them?*

Nicky, are you just pretending to be so thick? Cars travel on
roads, which need to be built, maintained, etc, at a cost of
billions. Tractors, seeding a crop, do not cost a cent in terms
of wearing out roads. Its no different for mining, fishing,
power generation, aircraft, etc. etc. Go back in history and see
why fuel taxes were introduced in the first place. User pays, if
you wear out the roads and want them built, so pay your share.
Do not burden the growing of wheat with road building taxes,
unless you want wheat growers to subsidise the roads that you
drive on.

You of course forget completely, that livestock fertilise paddocks,
which grow pasture, which uses CO2 to grow. Less pasture means
less stored soil carbon. Soil carbon levels rise under pasture.

*It's our tax dollars that pay for your tax breaks, Centrelink benefits and fuel subsidies.*

Ok, so far you can't point out any subsidies, centrelink benefits
apply to all Australians, meantime farmers pay taxes on farm
inputs, to subsidise you. Exports create wealth Nicky, farming
and mining are what does it for Australia.

* Also, the fact that you cannot market your "product" effectively in Australia is what causes you to sell to "third world markets.*

So you think we should not be growing wheat, to feed the world and
pay for your imports?

*the displaced meat workers and THEIR families.*

So where are they? Why don't they take the jobs being offered?

Yabby, so you think WA farmers support the rest of the country. May I refer you to the Australian Bureau of Statistics:

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/1350.0Jul%202008?OpenDocument

Look at "Employed Persons by Industry", and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and see just what a contribution that industry makes compared with Business and Property Services, Manufacturing, Construction and Retail.

Western Australia's contribution to national job vacancies is less than half that of NSW, and substantially less than that of Victoria or Queensland.

Furthermore:

Exports of fresh/frozen meat was up 8.4% in the year 2006-2007.

Live sheep exports fell by 13% to 1.1 million in March quarter 2008. Gross value fell by 26% for the quarter, down to $67.3 million. Unit value fell by 15% to $60.31.

The trend estimate for sheep slaughterings increased for the eleventh consecutive month, to 1.1 million, and was 14% higher than the same time last year.

The trend estimate for mutton production continued to rise for the eleventh consecutive month, to 23,400 tonnes, and was 23% higher than same period last year.

www.liveexportcare.com claims:

Modern farming generates $103 billion-a-year in production for the national economy (underpinning 12% of GDP)

Chapter 14 of the 2007 ABS Yearbook is dedicated to Australian Agriculture and states:

‘While Australian Agriculture no longer contributes a large share of gross domestic product (GDP) – averaging around 3% in recent years – it utilizes a large proportion of natural resources, accounting for 70% of water consumption and almost 60% of Australia’s land use. The gross value of total Australian agricultural production in 2004-05 was $35.6 billion. (Source: ABS Product: 7501.0).

Official Australian ABS data beyond a broad industry level is not published in the Yearbook however, the table clearly shows that employment in the Agricultural sector has decreased by over 81,300 the last 5 years

Great website and sends some messages, don't you think?
Nicky

*Modern farming generates $103 billion-a-year in production for the national economy (underpinning 12% of GDP)*

There you go Nicky, first point.

Second point, trading houses does not pay overseas bills. You need
exports. WA, with 10% of the population, generates around 50%
of Australia's exports. Fact is, without us, you would live
in a banana republic, with the Australian peso as your currency!

Most of Australia simply cannot compete in a global market, as
in international terms, you are too hopeless. Benchmarked globally,
West Australian farming is right at the top. That is despite
having to buy costly inputs, loaded with taxes and charges, from
you lot.

You like other Australians, rode on the sheep's back for years.
Every economist will accept that.

Don't talk to me about subsidies darling, they have been shoved
up your butts over there for years, including the education
industry, mv industry and just about every other industry.