Yabby, I realise from your other posts that you have a real 'bee in your bonnet' about an apparent lack of employees for some meatworks. Maybe you were the owner of one that went broke through lack of employees willing to take on the job for whatever reason. I hear what you're saying. My response to all of this is just why we need to breed so many animals in the first place.
The USA, Australia, Brittan and much of the Westernised World has come to expect "meat on tap" as it were. When I was growing up in the late 50's and early 60's, we had a lamb roast once a week, Sunday. We ate barely enough to feed a sparrow because it was damned expensive from memory. We ate cold lamb on Monday, cottage pie made from what was left on Tuesday, sausages one other day of the week, fish & chips Friday and the other two days, we ate whatever was in the cupboard or fridge.
Now, people eat out, they cook roasts two or more nights a week, they eat the finest cuts of beef, pork spare ribs....you name it! Australia is an arid country by definition, yet we're trying to cram more and more livestock into less unproductive areas and all in the name of appeasing the appetites of of our current culture of obese, demanding, whinging, Americanised consumers.
Does anyone seriously know how much water and fuel is used to get one large pig to market? I've seen it first hand and even 20 years ago, I was amazed by how much water went through a medium sized piggery. I'm guessing beef is little different and yet, walk by any street bin in a major city and see how many half eaten burgers, pies and other food items are thrown out each day.
We grow too much meat in Australia and all to feed greedy selfish humans. We're all part of the problem, but whilst "the World owes us a living" I doubt anything will change.

steel, "why grow rice in a desert"

Growers will use water for the best possible return. the fact is we've had so much water that high value users have had more than adequate supplies, until this year. Rice is an annual crop grown when water is available on general security licences. Permanent plantings need high security water because the trees/vines will die and it takes years to get back to commercial production. Rice fits the risk profile of a system with such extremes of drought and flood.

Incidently Australian rice growers grow more rice per litre of water than just about any other country. Most likely every other country.

If climate change is responsible then what caused the federation drought and the severe droughts in the forties and sixties. This just happens to be the worst in 'recorded' history. We have a history of extremes and we know we have just experienced an El Nino phase, like we have in the past.

Aime, all I do is state the bleeding obvious, as I actually have some
understanding of the meat industry. No point complaining about
starving livestock in a drought, if the solution is staff in meatworks,
to resolve it.

I remind you that we don't live in Nazistan. What people eat is their
decision and choice. Australia is a large meat exporter and it
goes to help pay for those trade deficits which you city slickers
run up and need to have paid for. Clearly you don't do much that
can compete on world markets, unlike our farming, meat industry.

Its fairly pointless complaining that farmers receive subsidies,
but then denying them the workers to deal with problems like
drought, or complain about live exports.

You are free to eat as little meat as you like, but just as you
have choices, so do others, in our free market economy.

The reason I mention the fact of labour shortages in the meat
industry, is in the hope that some of the unenlightened might
actually learn something, regarding an industry about which most
of them know pretty much zilch.

Aime.
If Yabby has a Bee in his boots about no meat workers so I. Its a pity you posted with a ring towards anti meat eating. It weakens the argument for the animals. I thought Yabby was kind not to repond by calling you a veggie or libber. City Slickers is mild for him. Church Leaders sick their noses in everything else- even the bedrooms so I think its a fair call to ask them to step up and take some reasonsibilty and speak out about Animal cruelty.

We the public give the Churches millions by way of donations and on top they get gifts by way of grants from the Government.Then they leg it off overseas to do some save the kids on the streets operation.
I say do the same thing here in our outback and regional areas and fix things for our aboriginal people and our own kids first before heading off the Maylasia etc. Not that I am against Christian and Muslim leaders working together its great. I just think they ought to do the same here.
Fix regional Australia and then bring trained slaughtermen to train our regional people in the hundreds of jobs that go hand in hand with the meat industry. Set up Ag Schools and Training plumbers and electrians etc in 'our outback.

Getting back to Yabby of course hes got a bee in his boots about meat workers. Hes trying to tell people who protest about live exports what they need to do to fix it. I spoke with the heads of wspa in Australia and UK on friday and I find the set rather unique.
Here Is food for thought Amie- Now wouldnt you think that blocking meat workers with skills to reopen abattoirs "ought to be on their list of things to protest."?
If i were the AA Libbers wspa lot I would be jumping for joy and waving flags of protest to prove my point.
Not a word.
So the old question remains- Are Animal Groups Political?
Are Churches political?
God is watching from a distance.

Steel Rojo have make good points. Re The packaging Steel the Humane Soceity in NSW Verna Simpson has introdcued the Humane Standards.
http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=105632&catId=100288&tid=100008&p=6&title=Free-range+meat

http://www.hsi.org.au/news_library_events/press_releases/N394_humane_choice.htm.


Now if Church Leaders indorced that it would show some leadership.?

That wont cost them a cent. I wonder if Senator Fielding and Neil would pose for a photo to launch it.

Good PR guys Church leaders posing with the Humane Soceity. Might even get me off their backs. They could teach it in churches and bible classes.
Now Heres something of interest Amie. We worked five years unpaid self funded[ except for our fantsic CEO in QLD] supporting RSPCA and Animals.
Invited at the time Dr Wirth President RSPCA to meetings with Muslim leaders in Australia and overseas to discuss live exports.

Set up a unique MOU with them to help animals.
Dr Wrth RSPCA President never even replied.- No interest!

PALE Applied to WSPA for Membership. Rejected by WSPA and Dr Hugh Wirth was President of WSPA at that time.
Dr Wirth is no longer President of RSPCA or WSPA however sits on Animal Welfare boards.

Getting back to Yabby screaming about abattoir workers- Thank God he is.
I dont here Animals Australia PETA Animal Libbers WSPA ot the others Aime- Do you?
I just thought I would WSPA that we find all these groups rather political.
I think we need Neil to pray for us for a fair go for Animals and Aboriginal people in Australia.
The Church leaders can pray and we will get the job done with the Muslim leaders.

PALE was opended to remove the core of political interfearance from people in the Animal Welfare Industry.
We work for Animals and dont mind turning over a rock or two- or three.
We need meat workers skilled in Australia and we will get them.
Steel you may find this interesting.
http://www.halakindmeats.com/aussiehero.html

Some will all be pleased that I am away for a few days. Taking Yabbys adventures along .
Enjoy.

Goodness Yabby! Were you refering to me as a 'city slicker'?

PALE. If my post had a "ring of anti meat eating" about it, let me tell you right now. Yabby could not accuse me of being a "veggi" or "libber" simply because I am not! Let me tell you how I work.....

Firstly, I am a meat eater, but I simply curb my desires to make it the main source of my dietary intake. I prefer to eat meat (and indeed all things) in moderation. I grow a lot of my own food taking only enough red meat to keep my iron levels at an acceptable level. I do not have my freezer packed with every type and cut of meat imaginable such as has become the norm for many I know. I tend to think unkindly of such behavior.
I eat as I have to. I pillage neither the land or the meat markets and should the soil provide for me, then I provide for the soil. I am not an animal libber as your post suggests you believe I am. There's not much I can do alone for the poor suffering animals that are herded into meatworks and smell the blood of their own kind running red on the concrete floor and all because of human greed.
My post was meant to represent my view that western nations produce much more than they can use without great wastage and it doesn't stop with meat. We over produce everything and for what good? Simply to prop up an unsustainable growth/wealth economy. Meat markets are no different.

Pale, I wish you well in your fight to stop the barbaric trade of live exports and I'm sorry my posts elevated your blood pressure. It told in your writing. One thing I'm not sure about however after reading back through your posts.....who the heck is "Neil"?