Agmates

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong have repeatedly told us that they are pressing ahead with their Emissions Trading Scheme based on what the science is telling them on Climate Change.

Agriculture minister Tony Burke when presented with ABARE figures on the cost to farmers of an Emissions trading Scheme maintains that farmers will adapt.

So what is it that Minister Burke knows that nobody else seems to. Perhaps its the advise he’s getting from the scientists?

Professor Barry Brook,  Climate Scientist from Adelaide University is a key scientiist advising the government on Climate Change. Just watch Professor Brook explain to the Supreme Master TV vegetarian viewers how Livestock Methane Emissions are a greater threat to Global warming than all the coal powered fire stations in Australia put together.

He believes Australia can phase out cattle production completely in just the next couple of years. Is that what Tony Burke has up his sleeve for livestock producers? Is his idea of adapting, raising Kangaroos instead of beef and perhaps its growing trees for Carbon?

If he is listening to Professor Brook farmers future sure as hell won’t be raising beef or dairy cattle. Watch the video and you’ll be as horrified as I was.

The video may take a little while to load, but stick with it.

(Thanks to Agmate JeffT)

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Update:

Contact details for the good professor Barry Brook.

Work Phone – 08 83033745 – Mobile 0420 958400 – Email barry.brook@adelaide.edu.au

Thanks to South Australian Agmate Richard.

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Agmates Editor Steve Truman
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QLD grain grower and Agmates member Rowell Walton writes:

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Rowell Walton

On Friday last our Federal Minister for agriculture Tony Burke asserted to the nations parliament that wheat growers were $30 dollars per tonne better off as a result of Labor joining with the Liberals and legislating out of existence Australian wheat growers single desk mechanism for the sale of export wheat.

In fact he was complimenting the Liberal party on its job, but what should be evident to all Australian’s is the philosophical similarity between the Liberals and Labor.

It should not be a surprise that Agriculture would bear the load of increasing deregulation and continued privatisation. Fred Hilmer, at the request of Keating in the nineties indicated the direction we would be taking, the national competition policy direction has been maintained through Labor and conservative governments from that time.

That the farmers chardonnay set the National Farmers Federation (NFF), have nurtured the process is something of an understatement. Their submissions are public and indicate an extremist free market direction rarely seen and certainly not reflecting the need of a rural community who exports just some 25% of its output.

Nevertheless their (NNF) loss of direction and removal from the mainstream farming community seems to be just deserts for failing their people and it brings me to the question of why Tony Burke would stand in the Australian parliament and assert wheat growers are $30.00 a tonne better off?

The Question  is Tony, where is your study, who did it and lets have a look at it.

No I haven’t said I do not believe you, but I am well used to lies emanating from Canberra, used to indoctrinate the less observant.  Your spin doctors may well think we will believe it if you just keep saying it over and over, but lets prove you have not misled the Australian parliament and direct us to the study, preferably peer reviewed.

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Meat and Livestock Australia’s Nigel Gosse writes:

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More than 730 families participated in this year’s ‘FarmDay’ which is designed to provide city families with the opportunity to visit a working property and get real hands on experience of life on the land.

Held on May 30 & 31, farmer registrations were up by 33 percent this year, with total numbers increasing to 568. Victoria led the way with 203 farms, followed by NSW with 175 and Queensland with 119 (WA 31, SA 29, Tas 10, NT 1).

Queensland nearly doubled their farmer registrations, up 90 percent from 63 in 2008 to 119 in 2009, while Victoria was up 41 percent from 144 in 2008 to 203 in 2009.

MLA Chairman Don Heatley said it was heartening to see so many farmers supporting FarmDay this year.

“Their generosity in opening their farm gates and their homes to city families is the key to FarmDay’s success.”

Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke and his family again participated in FarmDay, this year staying with the Cargill family on their beef and lamb property near Braidwood, NSW.

Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke and farmer Ian Cargill feed out and inspect cattle on "Billaglen" Braidwood, watched by their children Liana Burke, Caitlyn Burke, Hannah Cargill, Zoe Cargill (back) and Sophie Cargill

During his stay the Minister announced $50,000 of funding for FarmDay, available from the Government’s Community Networks and Capacity Building programs, part of Australia’s Farming Future initiative. Minister Burke said:

“Farmers help to feed, clothe and house the nation – and it’s important we all appreciate their hard work and their innovation”

FarmDay is a great opportunity to make sure the next generation understands how their food is produced and the challenges farmers face, including climate change.”

FarmDay aims to provide city families with a hands-on experience and also a greater understanding of the day-to-day life of the farming family.

A survey conducted following 2008 FarmDay showed that 99 percent of city participants agreed that -

“…farmers are important to Australian society”

and 90 percent agreed they

“…now have a better understanding of the role of farming in our daily lives”.

FarmDay was established by Victorian wool producer Deb Bain.

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Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, John Cobb writes:

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Farmers will go broke and food prices will rise, are the main findings of ‘official’ Government modelling into the cost of the Rudd Government’s Emissions Trading Scheme on farm production released today.

The Rudd Government’s ETS would be an expensive folly which will lead to higher food prices, less farmers and more imported food, with no net benefit for the environment.

The ABARE report, Effects of Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme on the economic value of farm production, finds that agriculture will be hit hard from day one under the Rudd Government’s ETS.

The ABARE report states;

‘Even if the agriculture sector is not a covered sector under the CPRS, agricultural producers will face increased input costs associated with the use of electricity, fuels and freight and may face lower farm-gate prices for their goods from downstream processors. These will have implications for the economic value of farm production’.

Graziers will be hit particularly hard and producing beef will be next to impossible with returns expected to drop by 22 percent. Producers of wool, mutton and lambs are also set to take a whopping 17 percent cut to their income.

Grain growers aren’t missed either with their income predicted to fall by 14.5 percent.

The dairy industry, already struggling because of low export prices will lose another 1.9 percent off the bottom line because of the Rudd Government’s emissions tax.

I am dismayed that the Rudd Government was ignoring the cost of Global Warming and Government policy on the food security.

Without viable productive farmers, food will become prohibitively expensive.

Every family needs a farmer to survive, but no farmer can survive a Rudd Government cut of 22 percent to their bottom line.

We are finally starting to see some figures on the cost of the ETS to food production and even the Government’s own modeller can’t hide the shocking affect its ETS will have on farm productivity.

Where does the Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke and the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd think their food will come from?

Far from helping our food producers cope with global warming and the Government’s ETS, the Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke has slashed research and development which is needed to increase food production to feed the worlds growing population.

You can read the ABARE report for yourself here.

Addition reporting from today’s Australian Newspaper – Rural income to be cut by a quarter

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Agmates editor Steve Truman writes:

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Steve Truman

The great  myth of global Free Trade is unraveling faster than Trade Minister Simon Crean and Agriculture Minister Tony Burke can say Chk- Chk Boom.

AUSTRALIA’S dairy industry has been dealt a heavy blow after the United States announced plans to subsidize dairy exports in a retaliatory strike against the European Union.

In a joint press release the Australian Trade and Agriculture ministers stated:

Now, both the EU and US are using export subsidies and setting a poor example for the rest of the world. We strongly reaffirm the need for the US and the EU to show better leadership.

The US decision also highlights the importance of concluding the WTO’s Doha Round, which will see the complete elimination of export subsidies.

Crean & Burke are living in cloud cuckoo land. As I said in this article the EU and USA have never stopped subsidizing their food producers.

For agriculture the 3 superpower economies, the USA, the EU and Japan have urged us to lead the world in Free Trade while making no significant reduction of Ag import tariffs themselves. In fact they have massively increased direct subsidies paid to their farmers. Those subsidies alone are now worth more than $230 US billion a year.

The EU and the USA have never been prepared to sit back and let their food producers be forced out of business by Free Trade. Why -- because they understand that if a nation does not have food security then society itself disintegrates. Watch this video from just a year ago to see what I mean.

With the worlds population set to soar from 6.9 billion to 9 billion in the next 40 years estimates are that the world will have to produce 50% more food than it already does.

The EU and USA governments are aware of this and unlike their Australian counterparts are not prepared under any circumstances to let their food production capacity be decimated by global free trade agreements.

As I’ve repeatedly said, Australia has to be the Stupidest Nation on Earth (our Free Trade loving Politicians that is).

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Shadow Minister for Agriculture, John Cobb writes:

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The Rudd Government’s second budget is not only plunging the nation into $220 billion of accumulated deficit, it is compromising our farmers’ ability to feed and clothe the nation.

I am shocked the Rudd Government had targeted Agriculture to pay for its reckless spending, with a massive $908.234 million cut to the Departments budget next year.

The Agriculture Minister has gutted his own budget by 32%. Make no mistake this is a horror budget for agriculture.

Minister Burke should hang his head in shame – he has proven to be no friend of Agriculture.

Agriculture was the only bright light in our economy and the only sector to record any growth in the last quarter and has now been gutted by the Rudd Government.

It was the height of hypocrisy for the Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke to be swanning around Europe as an observer to the G8 Agriculture Minister’s meeting two weeks ago where he claimed in a media release;

“Australia has a major role to play in meeting the global food shortage and boosting global food security … We believe investment in agricultural research will be essential.” Mr Burke said.

Farmers are already being forced to produce more with less, in particular less water and less arable land, and without increasing public expenditure too dramatically increase productivity there was the very real possibility of Australia becoming a net importer of food at a time the worlds population is set to double within the next thirty years.

I am now convinced this vindictive Rudd Government has cut the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) because it had the temerity to tell the truth in a recent report by RIRDC which highlighted the heavy burden the Rudd Government emissions trading scheme would have on the profitability and productivity of Australia’s agricultural industries.

Whilst I support overseas aid, it is concerning that the Rudd Government has announced it will be spending more on overseas food aid and research ($464 million) whilst slashing research at home to pay for it.

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In a win for common sense Australian Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has announced will not allow the import of live Foot and Mouth Virus into Australia.

We can thank three people in particular for the ministers change of heart:

Ann Britton of Goodwood station at Boulia North West QLD. On the 2nd of February this year Ann ,very concerned that the minister would stick to his statement that he would implement all 84 recommendations of the Beale Report published this heart felt plea to the minister on Agmates.

A Cry From The Bush – Please Mr Burke – Don’t Do This To Us!

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President of the Australian Cattle Council Greg Brown. On this issue Greg drew a line in the sand. He left the Minister in no doubt  that he and the Cattle Council would never stand for the import of live foot and mouth virus  with his straight down the line ‘over our dead bodies’ response.

It was so refreshing to see a peak body making a stand and not going down the ‘we’ll try and negotiate the best outcome for producers’ approach.

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Thirdly Federal National Party Leader Warren Truss.

Mr Truss to his credit took up the fight for rural producers in the parliament and never let up on the Ag minister Tony Burke.

“The Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, announced his in-principle support for the imports at the same time as he released the Beale Report into Australia’s quarantine services. Instead of consulting with industry about the implications of the Beale Report, the Government immediately declared support for all of its 84 recommendations,” Mr Truss said.

The Rudd Labor Government is carelessly dismissing the estimated $8 – 13 billion economic cost to Australia if the foot and mouth virus is ever released here.

Mr Truss called on the Federal Government to put an immediate hold on any plans to import foot and mouth disease virus and to listen to industry concern about the risks involved.”

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The pressure has finally gotten to Labors Urban whiz kid Ag Minister Tony Burke. In a statement yesterday he has canned the idea, claiming he never intended to do it in the first place. Which is just nonsense.

In the release he states.

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“The Opposition is deliberately misleading farmers and running a scare campaign on foot and mouth disease, despite being fully aware of the Government’s position, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said today.

Mr Burke said he had made it clear, ever since the Beale Report into Australia’s biosecurity system was released, that the Government would only consider importing the live virus if an outbreak had already occurred.”

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That’s great news Minister Burke. The only problem is that its the first we have heard of it. Up until your statement yesterday we were all under the impression that you intended to adopt all 84 recommendations of the Beale report.

After all we understand you know nothing about Australian Agriculture being born and bred  and worked in the inner Sydney Suburbs and must take your advice from your government advisers and the scientists.

Minister Burke – Thank you for finally listening to the real people in the agriculture industry.

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Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Labor team have once again plucked the Goose that lays the golden egg – Australian Agriculture.

Labors urban boy wonder, Agriculture Minister Tony Burke announced increases in AQIS fees and full industry cost recovery that amounts to a massive tax increase of up to 1,300% on the nations rural exports.

Whilst many exporters will pass those increases straight back to rural producers it will drive a number of them out of business, destroying jobs.

At present agriculture is the shining light in the Australian economy. Not because of any great government policy present or past, but simply because we still have an Ag industry and with the Australian Dollar at 65 cents US we are competitive.

Thanks to the Free Trade policies pursued by governments of all persuasions over the last 30 years we don’t have a strong manufacturing industry, its now in China and other low cost counties. If we did still have a manufacturing industry then it too would be doing well with the dollar at 65 cents.

It is diabolical that Labor doles out $6 billion dollars to prop up Australia’s zombie Car manufacturing companies yet slugs the viable agricultural industry with a huge export tax.

Its reverse free trade, tax our exports that are then slugged a protective tariff  by the importing country.

Why does the car manufacturing need $6 billion dollars of government subsidies to survive? Because in the World of Free Trade it can’t compete with cars built in factories in China and South Korea etc.

The Australian Agriculture industry, has survived despite being the only Ag industry in the world (along with NZ) that operates without the assistance of subsidies or the protection of tariffs.

The Rudd government is obviously broke. Why else in the time of the greatest financial storm in 90 years would you slug your only growing export industry and in doing so put 1,000’s of jobs at risk.

Kevin Rudd has quoted that the $6 billion given to the car industry is to protect the 50,000 Australians that it employs. Just one sector of Australian agriculture – the meat industry employs 50,000 people. The difference is that the 50,000 employed in the car industry are in key Labor held urban seats, while the 50,000 employed in the meat industry are in rural & regional Australia and predominantly coalition held seats.

So jobs in coalition held seats are expendable. Just a mere casualty to the game of politics in Australia, cannon fodder if you like.

In many respects Australia is the luckiest country in the world. We are rich in natural resource, mining and agriculture. The only thing that ruins this country is the ruling political elite who make decisions based exclusively on getting themselves re-elected and not in the national interest.

If it does not stop Australia will end up a third world country destroyed by party politics and ego maniacs.

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Shadow Minister for Agriculture, John Cobb [pictured] writes:

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Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke has announced the Rudd Government will introduce a new tax on agricultural exports by moving to 100 percent full cost recovery for AQIS export inspection services.

Not only would the Rudd Government be introducing a new full cost recovery tax, it is increasing AQIS fees by up to 1352 percent.

The Coalition today branded a proposed tax hike of 1352 percent on agriculture exporters as ‘crazy stuff’, especially in light of the fact that the only sector to record any growth last quarter was agriculture.

The Prime Minister was creating his own ‘perfect economic storm’ by massively increasing taxes on our agricultural exporters, which will lead to jobs losses and business closures in regional Australia.

Our exporters are struggling, the credit crunch has hit them hard and their margins are being slashed, to increase taxes and fees is the equivalent of committing economic suicide.

It’s almost as if Minister Burke is deliberately trying to increase the economic pressure on our exporters, when they can least afford it.

The Rudd Government is spending $6 billion to bailout the car industry which employs 50,000 workers, the same amount of people as the meat industry, yet is slugging the meat industry with a tax and extra charges.

Industry is ropable with One Australian agriculture exporting company wrote to me stating;

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“The proposed increase on 1 July 2009 in AQIS certification charges relating to Health certificates and the issuing of other export documents of between 767% and 1352% threatens the viability of our business. Should these proposed charges be implemented the cost to our business for these same services would increase by some AUD 618,000 to AUD 684,000 – in excess of a 10 fold increase.

Such a cost increase is simply abhorrent, uneconomic and has the potential to derail export business that this company has spent years developing.”

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In dollar terms the largest impost would be the meat industry, with the new tax adding up to $5 per head for cattle and up to $0.50 per head on sheep to process them, the bulk of this will be past back to primary producers.

Other industries such as the seafood industry will also be hard hit with the abalone, tuna and rock lobster industries already experiencing extremely tight margins and will struggle to absorb the new tax.

The Horticulture industry has already expressed concern that they are operating on extremely low margins, and both cherry exports and $30 million worth of citrus exports to Japan are being placed in jeopardy.

Our dairy exporters have recently been hit with a 50 percent price cut and a massive increase in European subsidies and can not afford a new tax on exports.

It is extraordinary that at the same time as our major competitors are increasing subsidies and protectionism the Rudd Government is hitting ours with a new tax.

This announcement will cost jobs in regional Australia.

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Australian Agriculture minister Tony Burke and Trade Minister Simon Crean have taken great pride in announcing the following Free Trade initiatives this week.

• Thrown open the doors to a flood of cheap imports from the 10 ASEAN nations. this will see hordes of low cost, low regulated produce and fruit replace Australian produce on Supermarket shelves.

• Thrown open the doors to Chicken imports from anywhere in the worlds.

• Thrown open the doors to low cost and low regulation banana imports from the Philippines.

We saw the Coalition do the same with our pork producers some years ago. Today most pork on supermarket shelves is from heavily subsidized producers in the USA and Denmark. The result is that 40% of our pork producers have left the industry in the last 18 months.

How long will it be before we open our doors to low cost beef from South America?

Can’t happen I hear you say. Why not I ask? After all our major beef processor is the Brazilian owned JBS-Swifts. They are also the largest Beef processor in South America.

Each of our agriculture industries is being picked off one by one by the Free Traders. Soon there will only be the beef and lamb industries left untouched.

Ask yourself – how long?

After all that’s what free trade is all about.

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