Ok, firstly before I go further on this post I would like to apologise to any farmers who are reading this post and feel that I’m out of line with these comments. I acknowledge that I’m neither a farmer or an environmental expert and I welcome any feedback to enlighten me.
I have just been listening to the Australian world news (thanks to the ABC’s podcast series) hearing about how the Australian farmers are all hard done by and that the recent lack of water has meant that they may have to run livestock instead of crops. Ok, correct me if I’m wrong but Australia is predominantly a dry continent, and most of the crops and livestock are not native to Australia. Subsequently we run into issues such as drought and salinity…..
You would think that one of the best ways to tackle this would be to start farming native plants and animals. For example, farming Kangaroos – this is seen as taboo because it is one of our national icons. The reality is that in some areas the number of these animals actually makes them a pest; although the flavour of the meat is more gamey it generally means you eat less of it (potentially less obese people???) and they have skin/fur that can be used for clothing and fashion items.
Anyhow, before you start emailing the government in support of our whinging farmer, take a thought about whether money will fix the underlying issue facing the Australian primary industry sector!