Local producers don’t want special deals, just a level playing field.
The Rudd Government is now effectively enforcing stricter controls on the North Coast's $140 million-a-year cattle industry than it is on imports which the Government has just allowed from countries affected by Mad Cow Disease.
Today, Kevin Hogan, the Nationals Candidate for Page and I spoke at the North Lismore saleyards and met with angry local producers, before travelling on to meet with management at the Northern Meat Cooperative in Casino.
I agree with Kevin that these local farmers don’t want special deals or handouts - they just want to ensure that any beef imports are safe and that importing countries go through the same stringent controls Australian producers do.
I challenge local Labor Party MP Janelle Saffin to support a Coalition Private Members Bill which would level the playing field.
Ms Saffin should cross the floor of Parliament and support our plan which would mandate an import risk assessment on foreign beef, and only allow imports from countries which enforce the same stringent safety controls that have made Australian beef the best and safest in the world.
Ms Saffin was quick to claim credit for a Government grant for the Grafton saleyards, yet she won’t say a word about her party’s decision to import potentially dangerous meat into this country and damage this great local industry.
It is essential the Page electorate, which includes Australia’s Beef Capital, Casino be represented by someone who would stand up for beef producers and Kevin is the person to do this.
Monday, March 15, 2010 6:57 PM
GOVERNMENT BACKFLIP ON MAD COW IMPORTS
The decision of the government to allow beef potentially containing meat from animals suffering from mad cow disease reveals that they never learn that the quarantine service in Australia is managed by a team of incompetent bufoons. Biosecurity Australia (BA) - the organisation that develops and reviews quarantine policies to protect agricultural and the environment from pests and diseases must have advised the goverment that there is no risk with the import of this meat. These are the same people that allowed the import of meat from a known country with foot and mouth disease See Risk of Foot and Mouth Disease update 59 September 2005.
George Negas went to Brazil and upon his return showed footage of cattle on the border of the foot and mouth quarantined area crossing aimlessly back and forth across the border. So much for the strict regulations in Brazil that kept the area separate and apart. These are also the same people who allowed equine flu to enter Australia and then could not even contain it once it arrived. It was safe amongst humans they said yet several veterinarians died from it. How can anyone trust these idiots?
Who remembers Dolly the cow? She was infected with BSE {Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) and the effects on her was televised throughout the world. At the time health authorities advised the public that there was no danger to humans because it was not transmissible to humans. And when people began to contract the Creutzfeldt-jacobs disease (CJD) the authorities had to do a backflip and admit they were wrong.
CJD has been reported in Chile, Israel, Slovakia, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, United States, Netherlands, Poprtugal, Spain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Saudi Arabia. Any of these sources can now apply to export beef to Australia.
CJD has a very long incubation period of up to 30 years, usually 15 to 120 months with direct exposure. There are no testing procedures to determine whether BSE is present in live cattle. The reports that abattoir workers fear that many people will simply not take any risks and simply not eat any beef whatsoever is a very real possibility.
It has been stated that an agreement on fair trade between Australia and other countries to remove any trade barriers signed by Dana Vale in the Howard government is responsible for the relaxation of the import rules and the present government is bound by that agreement. Surely the risk of importing such diseases should be given greater priority.
Des Sibraa 1. 3. 10
Monday, March 15, 2010 6:57 PM
GOVERNMENT BACKFLIP ON MAD COW IMPORTS
The decision of the government to allow beef potentially containing meat from animals suffering from mad cow disease reveals that they never learn that the quarantine service in Australia is managed by a team of incompetent bufoons. Biosecurity Australia (BA) - the organisation that develops and reviews quarantine policies to protect agricultural and the environment from pests and diseases must have advised the goverment that there is no risk with the import of this meat. These are the same people that allowed the import of meat from a known country with foot and mouth disease See Risk of Foot and Mouth Disease update 59 September 2005.
George Negas went to Brazil and upon his return showed footage of cattle on the border of the foot and mouth quarantined area crossing aimlessly back and forth across the border. So much for the strict regulations in Brazil that kept the area separate and apart. These are also the same people who allowed equine flu to enter Australia and then could not even contain it once it arrived. It was safe amongst humans they said yet several veterinarians died from it. How can anyone trust these idiots?
Who remembers Dolly the cow? She was infected with BSE {Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) and the effects on her was televised throughout the world. At the time health authorities advised the public that there was no danger to humans because it was not transmissible to humans. And when people began to contract the Creutzfeldt-jacobs disease (CJD) the authorities had to do a backflip and admit they were wrong.
CJD has been reported in Chile, Israel, Slovakia, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, United States, Netherlands, Poprtugal, Spain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Saudi Arabia. Any of these sources can now apply to export beef to Australia.
CJD has a very long incubation period of up to 30 years, usually 15 to 120 months with direct exposure. There are no testing procedures to determine whether BSE is present in live cattle. The reports that abattoir workers fear that many people will simply not take any risks and simply not eat any beef whatsoever is a very real possibility.
It has been stated that an agreement on fair trade between Australia and other countries to remove any trade barriers signed by Dana Vale in the Howard government is responsible for the relaxation of the import rules and the present government is bound by that agreement. Surely the risk of importing such diseases should be given greater priority.
Des Sibraa 1. 3. 10