Sorry I cut some off. I forgot to say goodbye to Yabby. Picture this the white wash inquiry is held & speaking of subs - once again their use the public's money to fund it- like SO many times before - we pay+ have pad millions & millions of $

Somebody should add up the total cost for all these white washes ... and get the figures out to an already furious public.

Anyway Yabbs- the inquiry is over--- the PM makes the wrong decsion and doesn't listen to the public - then from out of the blue footage pops up again from all over.

Its their funeral

Goodbye all!

Happy debating

Gertrude, I have not shifted my game at all. I still agree that
abattoirs should be built where they are viable. But they need
to be viable for farmers, processors and contented clients, or they
are doomed to failure.

For a long time WA was indeed short of slaughter space. But over
the last 4 years, farmers sick of being treated with contempt by
the meat industry, took things into their own hands and sold off
14 million sheep. What we now have is healthy competition between
abattoirs and the live trade.

Some in the meat industry have realised that without farmers they
won't have an industry. They have had to change their ways, install
new automated equipment to replace expensive labour and value add
in ways that they never bothered to do before. Simply paying farmers
less, is no longer the easy option that it once was.

Banning the live trade would simply deliver farmers on a platter
to processors, who could then go back to their old ways, name their
price and farmers would have no other option but to get out of
livestock completely. Long term that is doomed to failure as
livestock and crops are complimentary. Wall to wall cropping
invites another whole set of problems, such as herbicide resistance.

Yabby,

The very last post!. WA smaller plants 500 miles apart. ME buyers buy DIRECT from farmers. No middle men & set agreed prices. WE supply & train new staff. All pre stunned. Direct from farm to plant. Bought off net.
Guaranteed better $ than now and always thats paid to agents ATM for live trade. Things are changing and Halal is growing world wide. These guys can not believe how little Aussie farmers get.
They want free range- disease is a big thing in the culture.
However and here is the MAIN problem They wont look - or do anything until farmers meet direct to ensure supply--- sensible.
They cant set up alone and need people who know the area- game industry to run the plants.

I have told you that before
NFF ABA and all the others refuse to inform the farmers- ask them if they are interested to at least meet. These farmers dont need a nanny they can make up their own minds.
We both know why- They no longer represent farmers/ growers they direct them to Live Exports because in my opinion they are in bed with landmark AWB Elders to name a few.

The industry is corrupted and has to go. It will because the world is changing Halal is growing.

I understand people are insecure ad farmers are set in their ways..

I know about the loyalty thing too.

But lets face it Elders and the likes have abused that trust and loyalty and repaid that loyalty by bring shame to each and every farmer and this country.

They dont owe them ANYTHING . p This is THEIR fault together with the Governments not the poor farmers. The farmers have been betrayed by the government the middle men.
You know the drill

How about as a parting gift you let those poor bloody sheep out of that shed!

That would be a nice thing to do.

Getrude

Ah Gertrude, you remain confused as ever, so nothing changes :)

As a matter of interest, I have no sheep in a shed, the only
time they go into a shed is on their way onto a truck, off to
lambchops heaven.

Another matter of interest which shows how out of date that you
are: These days Landmark is owned by the Canadians and AWB has
been sold to the Americans, IIRC.

Your conspiracy theories about agents continue, but that is your
choice.

Farmers are free agents, they need free markets. Only competition
will do that for them, not trying to eliminate it. Farmers don't
run their farms to bankroll job creation schemes for the rest
either, they have their own families to feed and take care of.

Anyone can buy livestock, just go to a saleyard and start bidding.

Anyone can build an abattoir, buy livestock and slaughter them
where they want to slaughter them. Its called the market. Farmers
sell to the highest bidder.

All pretty simple really, but it refuses to sink in with you.
Never mind.

Gertrude, these friends of yours dont need to meet with farmers to ensure continuity of supply. Plenty of stock still go through sale yards. Just buy them there like everyone else. They are promising to pay the highest price anyway so it shouldnt worry them if there is is a risk of price variation. What is the real reason they dont go ahead? The idea of farmers refusing to meet with them is rubbish. The small town near where I grew up has had a halal abbatoir owned by muslims for years (owner was Egyptian I believe). No one had any qualms selling to him. Likewise farmland all around the country is being bought up by Arab interests - cant say that there is any hint of discrimation there. Someone is taking you for a ride....

Country Gal

I forgot to add that the example of castration I gave was not meant as a deliberate slur on farming in general, just that I understand it can be a tough call. I just don't want people thinking Aussies = Good; Indonesians = Bad.

We have the bio-technology right now to deal with both castration and mulesing. Cows could give birth to sterile bulls and sheep can be bred to have wool free or short wool around their hind quarters so as to be free of becoming fly-blown which must be more painful than mulesing. None of this would be cheap, but once established would relieve farmers of some tough jobs.

Yabby, you can go in thinking what you like - no-one is going to stop you. My posts can decide for anyone how well informed and researched I am.