Beef City is a massive feedlot and associated abattoir located 40km west of Toowoomba in SE Qld. JBS has announced that staff will be stood down due to a glut of boxed beef, resulting from the downturn in customer purchasing since Japan’s tsunami disaster earlier this year. Ostensibly the Beef City meatworks closure is just for two weeks however […]
Fiona Lake Blog
Closure of JBS-owned meatworks near Toowoomba
June 30th, 2011A letter from the Pilbara to Sarah Ferguson (ABC 4 corners journalist)
June 29th, 2011Various people have written so many excellent letters regarding the live export trade, effect of the current ban, and how to rectify the disastrous situation. The following letter was written by Christine Glenn (Pilbara region, Western Australia) to Sarah Ferguson – the ABC journalist on the 4 corners story on Australia’s live export trade to Indonesia. “Dear […]
Update on the live export ban from David Warriner, NTCA
June 28th, 2011A letter from David Warriner, Chairman, NTCA (Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association):”I think most people understand “cattlemen on the land” abhor the disgusting treatment of our animals we saw on the misleading and unbalanced Four Corners program. It must be understood this is not typical. When your business is in dealing with animals, animal welfare is a […]
Online petition calling for the live export ban to be lifted
June 24th, 2011Please take a few seconds to sign the online petition calling on the Federal Government to lift the ban on Australia’s live export trade, so live exports to Indonesia can resume immediately. It’s vital that live exports resume as soon as possible – ironically, because of the catastrophic animal welfare and environmental issues caused by […]
A vet’s perspective on the affects of a live export ban
June 20th, 2011Another very well considered letter – from a vet: LIVE CATTLE EXPORT – THE BIG PICTURE The issues surrounding Australian live cattle export and appalling cruelty to cattle in some Indonesian slaughterhouses have been very disturbing to all Australians. As a veterinarian with animal welfare, meat processing and exotic disease experience, with no vested interest in […]
Banning live exports and meatworks in northern Australia
June 18th, 2011During the 1970s beef crash in northern Australia, there was no money to employ staff, muster, wean and truck cattle as sale prices were at rock bottom. Many beef producers simply went broke. Others hung on by the skin of their teeth with increasingly large debts. They had no option but to leave cattle to die in overgrazed paddocks at […]
Rural producers from southern regions, making ill-informed judgements regarding Australia’s live export trade
June 16th, 2011It’s exasperating to find southern producers who have posted online comments supporting the blanket ban on live exports because a) I haven’t come across a single one whose comments demonstrate any understanding of agriculture outside their own specific region and b) they’ve played right into the hands of animal rights extremists – apparently oblivious to the fact that […]
Farmer-bashing turning into a national sport
June 15th, 2011Poking 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 […]
Australians Supporting Beef Farmers (ASBF) – brand new website now online
June 14th, 2011The ‘Australians Supporting Beef Farmers’ (ASBF) brand new website is online today. The aim of the website is to provide objective industry facts and a united voice for Australian cattle farmers, especially those in the north who are directly or indirectly involved in the live export trade, as well as people indirectly involved (from truck drivers and mustering chopper […]
Amazing Race Australia – who is most likely to win, surfers or ‘farmers’?
June 14th, 2011I’ve never watched a reality TV series before so don’t know what sort of person usually wins these contests. Because there’s two people from outback Australia involved in the first series of Amazing Race Australia and I know many of the Warriner family, I had to watch. And barring unforeseen bad luck or events completely out of their […]