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 Burke’s silence will kill off Australian pork producers 

Burke’s silence will kill off Australian pork producers

1/05/2008 6:14:00 PM
The productivity commission's report released on April 4 on the inquiry into safeguards into the import of pig meat has left Australian pork producers in a precarious position, the Opposition's agricultural spokesman says.

Despite this report being on the desk of the Minister for Agriculture for a month, Nigel Scullion said Mr Burke remains "silent" while the industry was in danger of "collapsing".

"Australian pork producers are a resilient lot but they need urgent help," Senator Scullion said.

"The Productivity Commission found that it was higher feed and industry input costs and not cheap imports that were threatening the industry and accordingly recommended against safeguard action.

"This ignores the fact that it is the price of imports that sets the price of pork products in the supermarket.

"This is confirmed with the results of a grocery survey conducted by the ABS and published in the Herald Sun on May 1 2008 that shows the price of pork in the supermarket is one of the very few products that is cheaper now than it was in 2005.

"This may be good news for consumers but it is devastating for producers who are being squeezed between higher input costs and cheap imports."

Senator Scullion said food security was an important issue facing Australians into the future.

"If we want to have a pork industry and guarantee future Australian pork meat availability the Minister must act now and provide assistance to the pork industry immediately before the last farmer is forced out of business."

SOURCE: Rural Press National News Service, Parliament House Bureau, Canberra.

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Comments


Date: Newest first | Oldest first
A great majority of our pig meat comes from intensive production sheds, "factory farms", with these animals trapped inside their whole lives.

Sows are inside metal sow-stall for up to 16 weeks at a time, pinned in one position.

Piglets have minimal contact with their mothers, and are tail-docked, castrated and have their teeth pulled out without pain relief required.

Pigs are slaughtered without having any natural lives, never being out side to have fresh air or feel sunlight.

Not only that, but these evil places are massive polluters of water, soil and air.

The mental torture of these intelligent animals being trapped in this way must be worse than the physical pain!

This animal slavery is bad for pigs, and the whole system is cyclic in that is it bad ultimately for our environment.

All farming should be organic.

Posted by Milly on 1/05/2008 9:04:20 PM
Cheap food imports, are continuing to constrict and eventually destroy Australian agriculture - from countries with cheap labor and those with heavy input production subsidies.

All the Australin farmers want, in their own country Australia, is a level playing field to compete on.

Posted by bob on 2/05/2008 9:55:19 AM
Australian pork producers are their own worst enemy, and they should fix their own act first before trying to hit up the taxpayer.

I regularly cook pork, and once every three months end up with a packet with boar taint.

This is a proof of both poor production practices and appalling attitudes towards consumers.

There is no such problem with ham and bacon which is mostly made from imported pork: I want imported Danish pork in the chilled section too, thanks, not the poor-quality local produce.

Posted by family cook on 2/05/2008 11:11:27 AM
All agricultural produce should be made in Australia, and not imported.

We cannot ensure any standards from imported foods, and denies the livelihoods of Australians.

Also, all farming should be organic, not intensive.

Cheap products such as poultry, eggs and pig meat is due to totally inhumane, intensive "farming".

What is bad for animals is also bad for the economy and the health of our environment.

It is called "karma".

Posted by Vivienne on 2/05/2008 4:15:11 PM
I worked in a piggery, ie intensively housed pigs, 25 years ago and the pigs live better than 1/3 of the world's people; food twice a day, a roof over your head, regular visits by the vet.

If all farming was organic we would have to clear more rainforests and destroy more habitats to feed everyone.

Posted by Peter on 12/05/2008 3:06:23 PM
Livestock industries are doing massive damage to our environment.

They are using and destroying so much of our natural resources, just for food!

Pig farming is not "sustainable" due to the massive amount of excretment and air pollution.

Just for flavour?

Doesn't make sense!

Posted by Milly on 30/05/2008 9:16:59 PM

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