Northern Territory Cattleman Rod Dunbar “Nutwood Downs” writes:
It is certainly good to read a transcript of Australian Beef Associations (ABA) John Carter’s USA address in last weeks Agmates AgNews.
Mr Carter and I do have one thing in common; we are both former directors of ABA. In an online reply to that article I questioned Mr Carter regarding ABA’s NLIS policy because I know that the ABA did not have a policy on NLIS when I was a Director.
However seeing it is quite a long time since I was a director I am interested to ascertain if a policy had been formulated since my departure.
(Below is a photo taken from the air of my cattle station “Nutwood Downs” which is approx 400kms south of Katherine and 100kms North East of Daly Waters in the Northern Territory. We run approx 18,000 cattle on the station.)
It may interest some to know that when I was a director the ABA had no dedicated published Policy Document on any issue facing the grass roots of the Livestock Production Sector; moreover there was a strong underlying principal for the board to concentrate on strategies of political opinion and public ridicule, without proposing a viable alternative or indeed, an other appropriate defense against intrusive bureaucracy; that is the difference between a strategy and policy.
(Below is a picture of our station “work horse”. Because of the huge distances up here we use the Schweizer 300C Helicopter on a daily basis to muster cattle, check fences and stock waters and many other station activities.)
I did not dismiss Mr Carter’s speech; I simply say I have heard it before and that the strategy did not work here in Australia and question how it is possible to work in the USA, given that Mr Carter proposes no action only political rhetoric?
Mr Carter’s comment regarding the application of Law is an extraordinary one; one that puts the ABA at odds to their sister (?) organization in the USA, R-CALF.
By definition R-CALF, the group Mr Carter delivered his speech too; is the “Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund”; they have a clear policy which embraces Court Action and has been used very effectively to protect their Members interests when there is an impasse.
(The photo below is of our river, the Hodgson River in flood with the homestead in the distance. We are in the middle of our traditional Northern “wet season” and having our average yearly rainfall of 26 - 30 inches) (650- 750mm).
By implication, Mr Carter seems to be saying here that the policies that flow under that framework are wrong and “Just riding a Tiger”. I can just see it now, “ABA does not agree with sister organization R-CALF in the use of legal avenues to address Livestock owners concerns when battling illegal actions of governments and bureaucracy”. “ABA’s John Carter calls legal policy “just a ride on a Tiger with no dismounting strategy!!!!!!!!”
Additionally, Mr Carter’s speech omits the crucial piece of advice which should have been delivered to R-CALF, learnt from the Australian enforced regulatory application of NLIS; fight Premise Registration Implementation (PIC Codes).
(The season is a good one as you can see, last year was one of the worst in 20 years, there are Mitchell/ Flinders grass plains; the country is mostly lightly timbered and all the grass is natural pasture.)
One wonders why Mr Carter chose not to pass this on to the R-CALF Meeting; NLIS cannot exist without Premise Registration (PIC Codes).
An examination of history may give us the answer; when Mr Carter headed up the NSW Meat Authority, as a Regulator, in the times prior to ABA; he implemented a strategy from which emerged the National Vendor Declaration (NVD) system; NVD’s are Mr Carter’s brainchild; the concept of a PIC was a regulatory necessity, to achieve the NVD system. By implementing that strategy Mr Carter laid the foundations of both NLIS and LPA through Premise Registration (PIC).
The strategy employed by Mr Carter’s ABA has failed to empress a Liberal Government over the previous decade and seems unlikely to influence the new Labor Government.
(The yards are called the Starkvale Yards and they are one of 3 sets, all steel, that can accommodate about 1500 - 2000 each comfortably. We run Brahman cross cattle approx. 18,000 head and the annual production predominantly go live export.)
The question for the ABA now is relevance; how can they achieve and address the removal of over regulation in the Livestock Production Sector, something that they have failed utterly to do thus far, without a major overhaul in their mode of operation; at the same time justifying the annual expenditure of members fund’s, to their membership?
I think Mr Carter’s perception of the ABA as a permanent opposition group to the mainstream, using only political strategies, that are permanently opposing, whilst at the same time riding and flogging a dead horse is misconceived; the trick for him will be at what point he will he dismount the dead horse, not to mention the danger of riding and flogging a dead horse in the first instance.
Have your say! To enter into an online discussion with NT Cattleman Rod Dunbar or leave your thoughts click on the Blue word Comments below.