Nicky, the world is full of bureaucratically minded business
consultants, who can tell people how to farm the taxpayer.
That does not mean its sustainable or good business practise,
or that it will solve anything in the long term. We've
had plenty of examples of politicians throwing money at industries,
only to find out it was a huge waste all along.

As an award winning exporter who has competed in the global
economy, I happen to know just a little about business too :)

Apples are not oranges and if you have a problem in one
industry, the first thing you do is closely examine why
there is a problem, there are usually good reasons. Industries
differ hugely in that regard, the meat industry is no exception.

You then find sustainable solutions, part of which is providing
your consumer with what they actually want.

Sorry, but no exports and you have a banana republic, your peso
won't be worth much in global terms.

Who said farmers don't care about their animals? Farmers are simply
aware of the changes happening within the industry, the new standards, the new boats, the phasing out of old boats, etc. etc.
Its a quite different industry, compared to the reruns of old
antiquated film clippings, being rerun again and again by animal
libber groups, all wanting money from the public.

I am the first to be keen on new meat plants in WA and have said so
many times. But I also know of the rogues in the meat industry and
the live trade forces them to be at least a little honest and gives
farmers an alternative.

If you want plants built here, let us import the labour we need,
jobs that Aussies dont want, and get rid of the taxes and red tape.
Then the industry can grow all by itself, no need for Govts to
build any plants.

Hi Yabby - juat a quick one for now 'cause it's bedtime and a work day tomorrow. Just for now, could you please enlighten me about the new ships? The newest one is the "Becrux", built in 2002, and we all know about its maiden voyage. Nevertheless, it is the usual one that farmers and journos get to go on. Renaming the "Rodolfo Mata" the "Deben Prima" doesn't make it a new ship, it was an old container ship called the "Ming Universe". Renaming the infamous "Farid F" the "Torrens" likewise, and of course you would know that Vroon BV bought all the terrible old Labroy ships and renamed them anything suffixed by "Express". All this information is available at a website called www.liveexportshame.com where there is a document entitled "A Disaster by any other name" - check out the updated version. Someone did a lot of work on that.
I'm not suggesting that we don't export anything - just don't export living, feeling, sensitive, suffering animals into the hands of savage butchers who, in reality, have absolutely no religious conviction whatsoever. That's just propaganda.
Nite nite
Nicky

http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=201497

Thats just a couple that I last heard that Siba ships were building.
So lots is happening in the industry, lots of changes.

You won't see many ships on the water in Jan-Feb, all are booked
in for refits and upgrades, which is all good news. Lets just
thank them for the amazing job that they have done in the last
few months, moving huge amounts of livestock which otherwise would
have died in the paddocks and still paid farmers a fair return,
unlike our rogue meat processors, who screwed the market for all
they could.

But anyhow, I don't see a problem with older ships, if they are
upgraded and improved, even if 25 years old. You girls would
scream loudly, if we threw you on the scrapheap and put you
out to pasture after 25, for a younger version :)

I've actually suggested on this forum that we should make up some
signs about it being the duty of muslims to be kind to animals and
hang them up throughout the Middle East. Nobody was interested,
I guess thats not what draws people to donate money to the libber
groups, so that they can fool around on the internet.

The Chinese are shipping 90'000 live lambs for this years Hajj.
China actually has more sheep then Australia, so they might yet
cut us out of the trade in future. Ifso then any money that
Aussie farmers have spent on animal welfare in the ME, will benefit
them too. I can't see China being concerned with welfare issues.

No thanks to animal libber groups. What are they doing to change
things in the Middle East? Nothing as far as I can tell.
I guess talking about Chinese lambs is not how they manage to collect
donations from the Australian public.

I thought this was an interesting article from Farmonline today:

A telephone poll has shown that six in 10 Australians believe the livestock export industry is cruel.

Commissioned by the RSPCA and conducted by Roy Morgan research, the poll found 40pc of respondents stated “conditions of transport” as the main factor in their belief.

Heat, overcrowding, lack of food and water and deaths in transit were examples most often given by those who believe the trade is cruel.

A total of 850 Australians were surveyed and were asked for their reaction to the statement that “The current export trade of live animals from Australia is cruel.”

Reacting to the release, SAMEX sheep buyer Viv Burton said, "I have been in this industry for 30 to 40 years and the improvement has been amazing, mortalities are down below.

"If people are really concerned about animal welfare they would know what a difference Australia is making overseas.”

Conditions of transport are peoples main concern? I thought it would have been overseas slaughter methods.

Yabby, dont call me an "alleged" farmer. I am dinky di. Do you walk your paddocks at night in the freezing bloody cold weather and rain, frost, to make sure all the sheep and lambs are ok from foxes and neighbours dogs. I bet you dont. Baiting for foxes that rip apart and eat alive, animals they have brought down. Phone calls from Landcare members, who are millionaire cattle owners, who dont need to bait for foxes, ring me up and ask me not to bait because they are worried about their dogs. The law is keep your dog under restraint. The unwritten law in the country is, your dog kills my livestock I shoot your dog, and dont ask me what happened to it, because I ai'nt saying a word. Do you just jump in on the bandwagon and take what you can for the lowest dollar and sell for the highest price? Every move I make is scrutinised by neighbours. Who is scrutinising the live export business? The Government? Who said things were better overseas in the Middle East slaughter yards? Only the people who run such places. Four people have committed suicide in the last three years in my area, bullet through the head, because of the desperate situation farmers are in. Farmers are put into such situations because of greedy money grabbing parasites. We get told what to do in this country. Democracy? Where is it. Whats the name of that guy who is currently telling all Australians its nuclear power and nothing else? Is it Howardcanyoumakeit? Cruelty is not necessary. Cruelty is evil. Cruelty comes automatically from people who are selfish and think only of their own needs. There are cruel farmers out there, but I am not one of them. Maybe you would like to pay my feedbill Yabby. I am telling it as I see it.

Yabby I am well aware that WA is part of this country, and WA is not the only state where farmers are in serious trouble. I am also aware that WA has a halal slaughter house that cannot get enough work because of the live export industry. The reason why China has so many sheep is again because of what I call "unethical" farmers. Who cross breed sheed, then sell the breeders for $1000 a head and ship them off. These cross bred sheep are large and mainly do not need shearing. They are either a Wiltshire Horn full blood or crossed with a Dorper. I also know the "top gun shearer" who went to China to teach them to shear, breed and take care of merinos. I cannot say what his comments were, but they were very negative. Bit like putting a square block in a round hole. I am not anybody else except myself, so stop being paranoid, and thinking that everyone is possibly some one else. I have recently turned down an offer for my prime lambs from a farmer up in the irrigated areas of Victoria, wants to fatten wethers for export. When I found out it was live export I said no. I produce a quality product and its for Aussies who want it, not for overseas. Every week I ring the local abattoir to see if I can send off my aged sheep. The answer has been for the last 8 weeks, no too many coming in. So I am still waiting to ship off half my flock, and meanwhile the feed bill gets bigger and bigger. Not a farmer. Give me a break. The reason for my second post is because of the size content of the post.