Poking around various websites, forums and blogs it has become apparent that there’s a noticeable difference between those making comments in support of banning live exports, and those in favour of fixing the problems and resuming the live export trade as soon as possible.
Generally speaking, people making online comments in support of Australia’s live export trade know their subject. They have first hand knowledge at some point or another, if not the whole process from start to finish – and generally they personally know others involved in other aspects of the system. Whereas in percentage terms, almost all of the comments made calling for a ban on live exports come from people who have no first hand knowledge of Australia’s beef industry – and very often, no first hand experience of agricultural production of any kind.
But the most glaring difference is the tone of the comments from both sides. I haven’t seen one abusive email from someone in the bush, whereas there is an absolute plethora of what can only be described as vitriolic, hate-filled, abusive comments made by people pushing for a permanent ban on live exports (usually for all types of livestock and in regard to all destinations).
It’s puzzling where this extreme level of hatred comes from. Some people very clearly have had disappointments in life which have lead to deep bitterness, and their anger is like a missile just looking for a handy target. But I suspect jealousy is at the heart of most of this outpouring of abuse. Many evidently believe that people living on large amounts of land have been ‘born with a silver spoon in their mouths’ – in other words, they inherited a great deal of wealth which they neither appreciate nor deserve. A puzzling attitude given the facts.
People don’t choose their parents so they are not responsible for whether or not they are born into poverty or into a well-off family. And it doesn’t matter how much someone inherits, it can easily be squandered within a lifetime if not well managed. And when it comes to a farming or grazing enterprise, if there is insufficient work or good management it will be very rapidly lost – within a generation. There simply is no fat in farming, to allow a lazy operator to hang onto their assets. Yes there have been boom time periods, such as during the 1950s wool boom, however these periods of rural prosperity have only occurred a handful of times over the last two centuries and have been only for a very short time and not been ag industry-wide or Australia-wide. And we are fortunate to have a free primary and secondary education system here, and an affordable tertiary education system – plus a society in which people who are determined, work hard and make sacrifices can build up a business and/or asset base (which they can then leave to their successors, if they wish).
Very few rural landholders do not have permanent debts of varying sizes – many started with nothing and took huge risks along the way. Most rural landowners work extraordinarily long hours – not particularly unusual in most small businesses – but in more sparsely settled areas, they tolerate a much higher cost yet lower standard of living; woefully inadequate government-provided services, relatively poor education and medical services, are taxed at a higher rate (10% on top of goods, fuel, services etc that are much more costly than the average Australian pays, effectively means people in remote areas are paying a much higher rate of GST than most Australians) and they work in all weather under all sorts of conditions. Ultimately, you only need to check out the health statistics and accident and injury figures for farmers, to realise that it’s not some cushy office job leading to a hefty superannuation payout right on retirement age.
Why do people live and work in the bush? Are they crazy? No they simply love the bush. Nobody works on the land because they can’t do anything else. Nobody lives in the bush because they can’t hack it in the city – they don’t want to live in cities. They believe in what they do. They are good at it (Australian farmers are amongst the most efficient in the world). They produce food (the most vital human necessity on the planet, after air and water) and produce export income (on which all Australians are completely dependent).
Not everyone will get this – and for people who aren’t passionate, thoughtful, committed types or people who have money as their number one aim in life – it can’t be explained in a way that will be understood.
Right now there would be a great number of cattle producers who are questioning why they do what they do, in the face of such an outpouring of hatred. Here’s two of the diatribes which have appeared online over the last week. These aren’t unusual – they are very, very typical of countless numbers of messages posted on websites since 4 Corners aired their programme on Australian live exports to Indonesia. Please note the messages below are quoted verbatim – obviously the writers were too angry to use spellcheckers:
‘I’ve heard it all before – the “SPIN” in your letter is the work of MLA and Livecorp and who have now been caught out for lying to the Federal Govt. lackeys who prop up your Industry in the t…op end….. Millions of dollars spent for improvements for animals ?……. what a load of garbage! and furthermore, my Taxpayers money is given to MLA, DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR by the FEDERAL GOVT., year after year to help MLA pay for these SO-CALLED IMPROVEMENTS! which has not made a sceric of difference in these foreign countries due to the centuries old embedded cultures that they practice. I have travelled across Indonesia and seen the blatant cruelty imposed on animals in this country which was branded as the most corrupt country in the world by FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE, last night, on the ABC. You of course, have been brain washed into actually beleiving that some of the footage taken by the Animals Australia and the ABC ‘s Reporter Sarah Ferguson is 5 years old which just goes to show that your brain is addled by too much horse riding rounding up your cattle to send them to their horrendous fate in Indonesias abattoirs. I fully endorse a blanket ban on the export of animals for overseas slaughter and I will sleep at night with the knowledge that I am doing what I can to stop this cruelty that has been going on for 4 decades. …. so take off your rose coloured glasses and get real!….. You care more about money than you care for your animals otherwise why are you sending them overseas to be brutally treated and slaughtered in a manner that is totally un-acceptable in this country.’
And:
“We are somwwhat surprised that you think the Australian community should have sympathy for serial animal abusers, both those in Australia and those in other countries, particularly those whom the taxpayers is expected to prop up ad infi…nitum as we do the farming industry and the iniquitous live export trade.. Firstly, did you or your cohorts ever consider the impact of the loss of the livelihoods of the 40,000 meat workers who lost their jobs when you people seized upon the greed option to ship your animals to anywhere and everywhere, regardless of what you knew would happen to them? And the lost GDP to the Australian economy, and the shut down of regional centres and their satellite businesses that relied upon meat processing; once the abattoirs were closed down? Secondly, a program such as Four Corners would not compromise its integrity to screen footage that was five years old as part of this program.If you believe that particular piece of industry spin you are naive. Those matters dispensed with, you need to recognise that your ‘industry’, in the form of MLA, has been claiming for decades that it is and has been addressing the horrendous abuse of animals in overseas destinations. You have been naive enough to believe that.After all, you were naive enough to keep paying it Year after year, all over the Middle East and now in Indonesia, we continue to see our animals tortured and abused. So please do not expect our sympathy. We taxpayers have been propping up your greed in this trade for decades – farmers have their hands out when there’s a drought, when it rains…. enough. If you call yourselves businesses, you need to recognise that all businsses in this country have to operate within certain ethical and moral standards, as well as being subject to government regulation and policies, including as they change What makes you people different? Like any other business, you seriously need to accept that there are community expectations, and you have violated the trust and respect of the Australian community, because now you want compensation not to abuse animals any more. Worse, you want to keep sending them to horrific fates, even after seeing what you have.And you except us to have sympathy for you. You probably have more money than we will see in a lifetime, and look at the depths of what you stooped to to make that money.Now you want to cry ‘foul’. You say that the ‘problems can be fixed’. In how many decades? The only ‘fix’ is to stop sending them animals, it is the only language these savages understand. You have made a great living on the screams, blood and tears of millions of tortured Australian animals over decades, in the full knowledge of their fate in the Godforsaken countries to which you send them (for God’s sake, look how they treat their own, especially women). It is not that long ago that another trade in living beings was considered to be ‘justified’,. Future generations will look upon you people and your animal trafficking as we now look upin the slave trade. Rather than throw money at cruel monsters in overseas slaughterhouses, Australia would be better investing in refrigation and related infrastrcture in importing countries. If they want Australian meat, they can have it but only if it is slaughtered in Australia. Mothballed abattoirs can be re-opened (and yes, we all know about the wet season excuses, but you seem to manage to get animals to ships without too much difficulty) Just for once, think of your animals, and of the people whose jobs YOU ended. For the record, Indonesia will not import animals from countries whee FMD is identified, and they are already being quite clear about all the frozen meat they are going to buy. They will not source animals from the countries you suggest and you should know that. Furthermore, most countries will follow New Zealand’s example, and categorically state that they will not supply animals to Indonesia. NZ stopped its live sheep export trade yeears ago on welfare grounds and Australia should learn from that. YOU have brought all this down upon your own heads, condoning this systemic animal abuse. We will end this trade Get used to it. Find something to do that does not involve the torture of sentient animals. (Also without prejudice – how curious).’
It makes me feel better to envisage all these people letting fly with all this hideous ranting, to be fenced in for a couple of years on a few hundred thousand acres somewhere in the middle of Australia (eg south of Tennant Creek). With just bark huts, handtools, seeds and a well to draw water from. Seeing them grow all their own food and fibre for a couple of years would be interesting.
It’s a nice thought. They might be ready to be a bit more reasonable and realistic about food production at the end of their stay?
As the tide turns and sense returns to the discussion regarding animal welfare and the Australian live export industry, animal rights extremists are likely to become increasingly desperate – and increasingly abusive. This will undoubtedly lead to fence sitters questioning whether what the animal rights extremist organisations have been telling the whole truth and whether they are just a little bit rabid. From online comments, eg on GetUp!’s website, it is clear many Australians signed ‘ban live export’ petitions in haste, without any understanding of the big picture; and many now regret doing so.
Tags: Australian Beef Industry, Conservation and the environment, Image of the bush