Living Rural - www.livingrural.net

Anecdotal stories, observations,comments and discussion pieces as insights into living in Rural Australia

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Living Rural - October 2007

Market Forces

October 19th 2007 06:56

Fishing in South Australia

Keeping with my "living rural" theme and to further discuss the market forces that affect the economical returns that those involved in rural industries are receiving, I submit the following thoughts.

In view of the prospects of higher prices of grain for the coming year - due to continuing drought and failed crops in many areas of Australia: Australian produced pork, poultry, beef and sheep products will rise. Will you, as a consumer, continue to support Australian products where the strict regulations to ensure that what these animals are fed and the conditions under which they are produced are in place and strictly monitored? Or will you take the action of buying overseas imports where many of these issues are either not monitored or the products' history is unknown?
Do you as a consumer ever look at the labels on everything from bottled water to tinned fruit to ensure you have bought Australian products - grown or collected on Australian farms and tinned or bottled in Australian factories.
Are you checking that you are buying Australian fish - the supermarkets need to tell you where it comes from now. Do you leave the fish from different parts of the world with their unknown feeding and production methods from unknown waters which may have no set monitoring standards for water pollutants? Or do you go for these varieties that are usually cheaper? Do you ever consider that the reason Australian fish may be more expensive is that the fishermen are willingly ensuring their fishing practises are sustainable and quantities are therefore on quotas? Are you willing to support their efforts by paying a little extra for your Australian product and sending a message to your supermarket regarding your preference?

Do you ever check where your fruit and vegetables come from? They too are being labelled. Do you really need red grapes from the USA when in a couple of months you can get them from Australia? And if you kept on supporting the Australian grower there will be some grower, somewhere in Australia that will find it a viable opportunity to get your red grapes on the shelves when you want them.
Even if the imports have productive standards equivalent to ours and even if the chemicals used are no different to ours - what about the enormous "carbon footprint"- energy for transport, that has been used to get them to your market?
And what about being certain quarantine standards are maintained. These officers do a fantastic job - but surely the only 100% assurance we have that exotic diseases do not come to our country is to encourage Australian production.
We are always told "market forces"will dictate what will succeed or fail in our primary industry. You, my Australian readers, are that market. You are the ones who need to decide that you want to buy Australian wherever and whenever you can - for all the reasons I have alluded to. You are the ones who can leave the imported product in the shop. You are the ones to tell your shop keepers what you want. Be a force and help keep Aussie farmers in the market.