Thread: Australian farmers / growers

Yes and no..... We sell wool and occasionally lamb or mutton. Wool bales go through the auction system to the highest bidder, lots of less than a bale go to the local wool merchant who aggregates them and send them to auction (for a fee). Sheep go to the sale yards to the highest bidder. Its a bit rich to accuse producers of not supplying their meat to the local butcher when there is no way to do that.
Some large producers and feedlots have a direct relationship with processors and will sell their premium product to the highest bidder, which is not usually the domestic market.
To illustrate this point here is a link to a premium supplier with a paddock to plate product. Have a look at the prices, that is why we export the best product. Order saltbush lamb online - Saltbush Lamb
As an aside when we moved to Yass there was a butcher that killed and dressed his own meat that he selected from the local market. The cost of concreting/bitumening the driveway to the slaughterhouse to meet new food safety regulations put paid to that.

Regards,
Tote

Originally Posted by trout1105

raw and unprocessed agricultural commodities contribute about a quarter of Australia's total export earnings each year.

thats a worthwhile argument, i didnt know that.

Originally Posted by jon3950

And feeds about 100% of the population....

i think aust is a net importer of food.

Originally Posted by Eevo

i think aust is a net importer of food.

Not so sure Eevo

"Overall, Australia remains a net exporter of food with its meat, dairy, oilseeds, wine and sugar exports giving it a trade surplus of almost three to one. Overwhelmingly the fruit and vegetables eaten in Australia are local.But Australia recently became a net importer of processed food, and the trend of rising imports is a strong one.
The driving force behind this shift is the strong Australian dollar and the lower costs, including cheap labour, of competitors such as New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand and China"
Link is a bit old Normally we export meat, wheat and other grains and milk solids by the billions of tonnes.

Look out for made in New Zealand product
Grown in China, (grown in and sprayed with god knows what)
Bulk exported to NZ
Packed into consumer sized bags marked with ‘Product of New Zealand’
Sent to Australia
Bought and consumed by unbeknown people
Supporting the Chinese economy by deceptive NZ corporates

Originally Posted by Eevo

i think aust is a net importer of food.

Only because individuals choose it that way. Just lik we are a net importer of steel. It’s because individuals make isolated choices to buy cheap (or other reasons to buy imported) for their own ends

And then there is is a collective whinge that we have no industry left.

If you look at mature European economies, they ensured they have a critical mass of key industries retained within their borders as a strategic necessity. It’s become more diluted since end of Cold War admittedly. The population supports these strategies with their dollars too.

If you want to make sure we as a nation a not a subservient consumer nation then make the choice with your own dollars at each purchasing choice

On anther point quoted in this thread about how much of GDP is made up in good production, an alternate way of looking at things would be to ask how productive many of our ‘industries’ that make up the majority of GDP. A wise man once said that (paraphrased) that” food and tools are true industries; everyone else is just doing other people’s laundry”. A lawyer may turn over plenty of dollars and so contribute a lot to GDP but what do they produce?

The berries that killed a number of Australians, a couple of years back, were labeled "Product of New Zealand", they were grown in and shipped in bulk from China. Merely packaging them into retail sized sealed plastic bags legally entitled such labeling.
I endeavor to purchase Australian products but I have to rely on deceptive labelling. I refuse to knowingly consume anything from anywhere but Australia, Western Europe or North America.
Some of the favoured products not available from Australia are anchovies, Branston Pickle, Picalilli (English), HP and Worstershire sauce.
I refuse to eat anything from New Zealand now.

Originally Posted by Gav 110

Look out for made in New Zealand product
Grown in China, (grown in and sprayed with god knows what)
Bulk exported to NZ
Packed into consumer sized bags marked with ‘Product of New Zealand’
Sent to Australia
Bought and consumed by unbeknown people
Supporting the Chinese economy by deceptive NZ corporates

Originally Posted by V8Ian

The berries that killed a number of Australians, a couple of years back, were labeled "Product of New Zealand", they were grown in and shipped in bulk from China. Merely packaging them into retail sized sealed plastic bags legally entitled such labeling.
I endeavor to purchase Australian products but I have to rely on deceptive labelling. I refuse to knowingly consume anything from anywhere but Australia, Western Europe or North America.
Some of the favoured products not available from Australia are anchovies, Branston Pickle, Picalilli (English), HP and Worstershire sauce.
I refuse to eat anything from New Zealand now.

Great minds or fools seldom, Gav?