Vetman I like your theory man but dont blame the muslims for all of this. Take it from me they are lied to and stuffed around by the Trade lot setting the dam tarrifs. Yep your right we wont send one sheep there. If Australia wants to sell meat it can be done here and give us our jobs back.
Scout and everybody else. I am happy to help set up your group scout. Is there a way we can now move forward because I think everybody is getting sick of Yabby. Scout what plans from here. How can I help.
Are you starting a support Farmers Group like vetman and Wendy suggest or what plans do you think we could get going.
I was thinking I might drop off this post because everbody seems to give all their time answering this jerk.
I will stick around if we can move on. Wendy I think you should move on as well if you dont mind me telling you. Hes doing it on purpose you can see that. Your not going to get anywhere unless you actually form these stand up for farmers groups. Your gotta get it together . I will tell all my old mates that lost their jobs if your going to start something Scout.
Scout Dam good to see this post too by the way.
oh yeh and dont let anybody tell you that of live exports stopped the middle east would buy from other countries. That been proven wrong.
Well i will be interested to see if anybody takes this old butchers advise. Yeh Lets see if we cant get something doing here.

Thanks to Wendy, Benny & Yabby too.

I am time poor today so just a quick post.

I want to gather sufficient info to write a submission - one of my first contacts will be http://www.getup.org.au/ - GETUP have had considerable success with a number of campaigns and they have the email list to fed members.

I am also interested in setting up some kind of contact list for all small farmers/traders across Australia so that they can share knowledge and support each other.

All this is very early - I am going about this with my usual combination of pragmatism and intuitive response to circumstances.

I have left a bit of a challenge on the 'fuzzy thinking on religion' thread, not really expecting anything though.

Wendy - I haven't had a chance to read, let alone respond to your email - will do so tomorrow - earlier if possible.

Cheers people

Benny, you are free to shoot the messanger all you wish :) I will
keep pointing out reality, for it doesent go away when you
close your eyes and wish it would.

If you are a meat worker looking for a job in regional WA, there
are heaps. Greg Cross of Fletchers has been on the radio time
after time, talking about nobody wanting jobs, thats why the
Filipinos were brought in. Wammco in Katanning were screaming for
workers for years. They knocked back lucrative contracts from
Japan, because they could not find staff. In the end they brought
in 45 Chinese to take jobs that Aussies didn't want.

Last year hundreds of thousands of lambs were trucked to the
Eastern States, as there was not enough labour here to slaughter
them in WA.

What also cannot be denied, is that WA woolgrowers, already in
deep trouble from a collapsing wool industry, would lose around
100 million$ (3.5 million sheep times 30$) by the end of the
live trade. Thats the reality of it.

Keep calling me all the names you want, what you think of me
I really don't care. But reality is reality, the evidence is
there for all to see and understand.

Large changes have been and are being made to the live trade,
since the Cormo story. That will continue no doubt. Changes
have been made in transport, changes are being made at the other
end. Again, realities that don't go away, no matter how much
you get rid of your frustrations by trying to insult me.
If that makes you feel better Benny, thats ok by me too :)

Well I've read the PACAT report, posted by Wendy, from
cover to cover. I can't see anywhere in there, any mention
of caring for the thousands of farmers having to leave the
land, caused by low prices for their products. Clearly
the author does not seem to care much for farmers or
their families.

The meat processing industry in NZ thrives because of
a 200k tonne quote into high value Europe. Our quota
is 18k tonnes.

The reason that the live trade has such overwhelming
support from West Australia's farmers, is that they
pay farmers a reasonable price, so that they can feed
their families. Nobody has put forward a viable, realistic
alternative! Nobody. If you have one, the sheep are in
the saleyards every week, waiting for your bid.

Thats exactly why State and Federal Govts support the
trade. They are aware that nobody has come up with
an alternative and in a free market economy which
we have, screwing farmers into the ground to satisfy
other peoples agendas, is not an option. 11'000
WA farmers agree with me on that one.

Scout, I appreciate the approach you seem to be taking on this.

There will be better ways of doing the things which currently cause suffering to domesticated animals, some may require new technologies and other may require some hard decisions. Gathering information and ideas is a good place to start.

R0bert

I second that, RObert,
Scout, Good on you for gathering the info to submit to GETUP. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, but I suppose Wendy is the best person to help you with that. The list for farmers is also a great idea. I’m in NSW Scout- I know you asked that somewhere. I might contact you next week or so, thanks for leaving your email address.

I’m still learning about all of this, but I feel my interest will most likely be in thinking about gathering ideas and ways to communicate with some religious groups or/and schools in the near future- but for now I’m still in the learning/ collecting info stage.

Doing little things such as making a nuisance of myself to food companies- e.g. when it says on the label that there's egg in the product, asking them whether they're using free range eggs in their products and why not etc. Telling them I'll only buy when they don't use caged eggs.
Tell supermarkets you want to see more free range products.

All depends too how much time is available- doing a lot of little, not-so-time-consuming things can make a difference as well if people are pressed for time!