Pie Fight protectionism?

I thought this thread belongs firmly within the General Economics thread.

Should Australia support a free market approach to beef imports?
Is it protectionist to support the Australian beef industry?
Is Australian beef "inferior" to that offered by other producing countries?
Should Australia easily give up the "Clean & Safe" gains it has made within the North Asian market by allowing foreign imports?

I remember reading a book called Bushwhacked Life in George W. Bush's America by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose back in 2005. Specifically recall the perils of free-market competition, safety de-regulation and the influence of lobby groups within the beef industry on US politicians. And it wasn't scaremongering it was just a scary recital of the dangerous practices of US slaughterhouses and the lack of a functional meat inspection system.

A great read that's for sure.

Personally, I don't see any problem with protecting our beef industry on this issue. We have worked hard to build up an undeniable reputation as a "clean & safe" exporter of beef. And well done on the exporters making sure that there is a sticker on every product sold within the North Asian market to relay this re-assuring message to Asian consumers.

Cattle Council mad over pie protest

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/24/2829373.htm?section=justin

The Cattle Council of Australia says opposition to the Government's plan to lift a ban on imported meat is protectionist.

Two decades ago the Australian Government shut down imports of foreign beef due to the threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), otherwise known as mad cow disease.

But with mad cow disease no longer prevalent in many overseas countries, the Federal Government says it is comfortable with resuming limited beef imports.

The Government now plans to lift the ban on processed and fresh beef from the United States and the United Kingdom on Monday.

The plan has attracted harsh criticism from the industry, the Opposition and independent Senator Nick Xenophon.

But the Cattle Council's president, Greg Brown, says their response is simply scaremongering.

"This [reaction] is unbelievably damaging to the Australian beef industry and there are so many people complicit in this issue generating this damaging discussion," he said.

A group of Senators expressed their disapproval including the Liberals Heffernan & Nash, Indepedent Xenophon and Greens Milne. Stating that the traceability of US & Mexican beef will not be adequately labeled on foreign imported beef. The Senators demand stricter enforcement for the protection of Asutralian consumers.


According to Senator Heffernan, "This is the biggest ambush of agriculture and betrayal of Australian consumers by any government I can remember."

Trade Minister Crean's response, "So if it's safe on the consumer front 100%, there is no new risk to the herd. What is the problem?"

I think Simon Crean needs to read more. IMHO.
If Crean thoroughly supports this then he should dine regularly on foreign "mystery meat" at Parliament House for at least 12 months. To re-assure all of us.

Excerpt From Bushwhacked by Ivins & Dubose

Why the Republican Party is the party of unregulated meat and poultry:

"The Republicans win elections in the 'red states' in the center of the country, where cattle and chickens are produced and slaughtered. Democrats win their elections in the 'blue states' on the coasts. Republicans use the USDA to pay off their contributors in the red states. The result of that crude electoral calculus is laissez-faire food-safety policy whenever a Republican is in the White House. (If you must eat while the Republicans control the White House, both houses of Congress, and the judiciary, you might want to consider becoming a vegetarian about now.)"

I have no issue with bringing another product in as long as you can 100% guarantee that you will still keep Australia Mad Cow Free, I highly doubt this will be the case though, eventually it could happen. That is enough of a reason to do everything to keep Australia Mad Cow Free, we already have one running the country, we dont need them running around in our paddocks as well! Australian beef should be at a premium because we can almost 100% guarantee we have no Mad Cow, this could change that, OR at least change the PERCEPTION even though the reality is very unlikely we would ever get mad cow by importing beef.

cornnfedd said:

I have no issue with bringing another product in as long as you can 100% guarantee that you will still keep Australia Mad Cow Free, I highly doubt this will be the case though, eventually it could happen. That is enough of a reason to do everything to keep Australia Mad Cow Free, we already have one running the country, we dont need them running around in our paddocks as well! Australian beef should be at a premium because we can almost 100% guarantee we have no Mad Cow, this could change that, OR at least change the PERCEPTION even though the reality is very unlikely we would ever get mad cow by importing beef.

Click to expand...

Consumers of US Beef in the US died from consuming US Beef products. Read Bushwhacked and there are numerous stories of people eating contaminated beef products.

Australia has a quality rep when it comes to quarantine. Crean is shirking the real issue of consumer protection. It is not just about the beasts that graze the fields. It is also about consumers.

What meat inspection team does the Crean government have set up and ready to fly to inspect the US and Mexcian abbatoirs/processing facilities to be sure they are not breaking their own Food & Drug Administration standards?

Maybe I should have added another poll option

What's your beef? Who cares?

Best to err on the side of caution then let people be subject to deadly risks. IMHO

Australia - being so isolated & remote from other countries is in a pretty unique position. As an ex-European I can see why you wouldn't let meat from other countries into OZ from a health aspect.

phantomcamel said:

Australia - being so isolated & remote from other countries is in a pretty unique position. As an ex-European I can see why you wouldn't let meat from other countries into OZ from a health aspect.

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Yes. Can't see why they have made this decision in light of the dangers that are posed.

Very interesting that Crean made the announcement and not Burke. Both should eat "mystery meat" sourced by random shoppers from random locations.
Also, cannot understand why the Cattle Council bloke, Greg Brown doesn't stand up and explain to Aussie consumers why it should be allowed.

What's my beef sir?

Cattle Council wants Opposition to apologize for mad cow remarks

ABC Rural
Friday 26/2/2010

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201002/s2831000.htm

A beef industry leader wants a formal apology from the Federal Opposition for scaring the public about imports.

Some Opposition politicians raised concerns about mad cow disease, after the Federal Government decided to remove the ban of imports of beef from BSE-infected countries.

Cattle Council president Greg Brown thinks the Opposition acted irresponsibly, and he says both the Opposition Agriculture spokesman John Cobb and Queensland Nationals Senator Ron Boswell have spoken to him about it.

"They're wondering now how they can fix it, they realise this has been unbelievably damaging," he says.

"I've got another bloke, a well-known Senator in Queensland, asking how they can fix it?

"I said, you stuffed it in the first place, you've got to fix it.

"I suggested they go out there and apologise and he said there was no way in the world they could do that."

Senator Boswell declined to be interviewed, but admits he had a private conversation with Greg Brown discussing the issue and "trying to find some common ground to work together."

Mr Cobb has also confirmed that he spoke to Mr Brown.

“I stand by the Coalition policy of ensuring that Australia’s beef industry remains the cleanest, greenest and safest beef in the world by demanding that the Labor Party must guarantee that imported beef is produced to the same exacting standards that Australian beef producers are required to undertake," Mr Cobb says, in a statement to the ABC.

“The Labor Government must guarantee that any country which has had a BSE outbreak must have the same physical ability to trace an individual animal from birth to plate, that a full import risk analysis be undertaken and that all imported beef has a country of origin label.

"Because the Labor Party cannot give us these assurance we have moved a Private Members Bill in both Houses of Parliament to make it a legislative requirement that these three key demands are met. ”

Mr Cobb says the secrecy surrounding the axing of the BSE ban has been a disgrace.

"I believe the Senate inquiry is warranted, because there has been no Parliamentary oversight of the Labor Party’s decision to remove the ban on beef imports from BSE-affected countries, and the Senate inquiry has been successful in exposing a number of deficiencies surrounding the decision to import beef from BSE-affected countries.”

“It is unfortunate that the Cattle Council is seeking to deflect attention away from the Rudd Government and is not highlighting the deficiencies surround the Labor Party’s decision to abolish the ban on importing beef from BSE-affected countries.”

The Nationals' Federal Member for Cowper on the NSW north coast Luke Hartsuyker says he won't be making any apology.

"The Opposition makes no apologies for desiring that imports from foreign countries be subject to the same sorts of standards that we impose on our own producers," he says.

"The fact that imports from the States or other countries that may have BSE or that have had BSE and don't have the sorts of tracking systems that we have through NLIS is certainly something that we're rather concerned about."

Mr Hartsuyker says removing the ban puts Australia's clean green image at risk and the Coalition will still draft a Private Members' Bill insisting on an Import Risk Assessment.

"We have a very good reputation in this country, a reputation that we want to hang onto, a reputation that is easily tarnished through the import of disease and pest; our quarantine system has had problems in the past so we have to ensure that we maintain the very high standards and an Import Risk Assessment is very much part of that," he says.

"The Opposition won't take a backward step on this.

I understand the ban has been lifted... BUT, I believe there is still an approval process to go through before any imported beef actually lands in Aus. I've heard it may take a few months to gain the approval.

Whether or not that approval includes any compulsary testing for mad cow or other diseases, I would presume so, but as yet don't know.

I have heard and would hope that it's the case here that general approval can be given for imports, but our quarantine services can and often are used to effectively refuse or substantially limit those imports.

Whiskers said:

I understand the ban has been lifted... BUT, I believe there is still an approval process to go through before any imported beef actually lands in Aus. I've heard it may take a few months to gain the approval.

Whether or not that approval includes any compulsary testing for mad cow or other diseases, I would presume so, but as yet don't know.

I have heard and would hope that it's the case here that general approval can be given for imports, but our quarantine services can and often are used to effectively refuse or substantially limit those imports.

Click to expand...

The concerns you should have Whiskers as a consumer is that imported meat products will not require labeling as to the source country.

In order to sell beef to overseas markets Australia producers are required by the domestic law of Asian importers and others to clearly label Australia beef. I have added an example below, as this sticker appears in every South Korean supermarket. The government policy as I understand it will not require sellers of processed beef products to reveal the source of any foreign meats contained.

Also live cattle exports from many other countries are not tagged with any radio-transmitter traceability tags. At the same time, the Australian beef industry have gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of our export industry.

IMO this policy has been announced while many slaughterhouses are being closed in many states. It will only add pressure on our farmers many of which still live in drought and many of which are only beginning again after going through one of the worst droughts in generations.

Warning: This Government policy may contain traces of nuts.

Now, there will be some who will dismiss anyone like Senator Heffernan for gatecrashing Simon Crean's press conference as a wowser and his and other Senators speaking out as an act of cheap populism. Well, if that's the case then why don't we as a country require similar standards to those who compete against our own export industries. The Cattle Council bloke Greg Brown has dismissed the safety risks because, BSE was isolated to the spinal column of the animal. However, like I have mentioned in earlier posts if you want to read the book by Ivins & Dubose (I'm sure you could pick up a used one on ebay for a couple of bucks) you will realize that it is a serious issue for consumers and dodgy operators overseas can endanger even their own consumers.

Here also is a blog that you may look at, if you are concerned about this policy development by the Australian Government.
http://www.madcowblog.com/

I should have said memory-chipped traceability tags rather than radio-transmitted tags. But hey it still comes back to the ultimate question.

What's your beef?

Whiskers said:

I understand the ban has been lifted... BUT, I believe there is still an approval process to go through before any imported beef actually lands in Aus. I've heard it may take a few months to gain the approval.

Whether or not that approval includes any compulsary testing for mad cow or other diseases, I would presume so, but as yet don't know.

I have heard and would hope that it's the case here that general approval can be given for imports, but our quarantine services can and often are used to effectively refuse or substantially limit those imports.

Click to expand...

You may find a few answers or lack there of in this article Whiskers.

Cattle Council grilled in BSE inquiry
SIMON JENKINS
February 22, 2010

AAP

Coalition senators have clashed with representatives of a key cattle group over new rules covering the importation of beef to Australia.

Imports from countries which have experienced bovine spongiform encephalopathy - better known as mad-cow disease - will be allowed from March 1, sparking anger from some in the local cattle industry.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...cil-grilled-in-bse-inquiry-20100222-opkq.html

"Wipe out" beef leadership: McDonald
THE LAND
BY MATT CAWOOD
04 Mar, 2010 11:22 AM

"How can you trust these people that are representing you?" said rebel beef processor J.R. McDonald. "They’re going to destroy you. And as I say, they all have to be wiped out."

That pretty much summed up a heated anti-establishment meeting in Armidale, NSW, at the weekend, where several hundred beef producers supported proposals to take some extraordinary moves against the current beef industry bodies.

Rallying behind the lead suggested by Mr McDonald and his family, under the banner of his Inverell processing plant, Bindaree Beef, the meeting voted strongly in favour of a Federal review of levy supported bodies Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC) and the Australian Meat Processors Council (AMPC).

They also voted in favour of beef levies and AQIS and NLIS charges being suspended while the review was conducted, and for a second review, this time of government costs.

In an unusual move, the resolutions were presented and voted on without opportunity for debate.

They will now be presented to Federal Agriculture Minister, Tony Burke.

Along with levies, the meeting ranged across a broad range of issues, from “truth in labelling legislation” to imports of BSE beef.

Several producers attacked MLA as being elitist, arguing that its voting system favoured a few big operators and locked out the views of smaller operators.

http://theland.farmonline.com.au/ne...-leadership-mcdonald/1767402.aspx?storypage=2

Looks like many Aussie farmers are standing up to this mad policy.

Keep up the good fight!

Great news!

Minister for Agriculture Tony Burke backs down as common sense prevails.

Mad cow change concerns prompt review
ABC News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/08/2839661.htm?section=justin

The Federal Government has reversed its decision to allow beef imports from countries previously affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which is also known as mad cow disease.

The Government lifted the blanket ban on beef imports at the start of the month despite concerns the move could hurt Australia's beef industry.

But Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has put that decision on hold to allow for a full import risk analysis to be conducted.

Mr Burke says his intervention was in response to significant community concern about lifting the ban.

"People want to know absolutely that we will be retaining the best possible food safety standards," he said.

"Certainly it is an unusual situation for a minister to personally intervene. The level of community concern, I believe, has been sufficient to add that level of formality to the process."

Mr Burke says the assessment will take two years to complete and during that time only beef from New Zealand can be imported.

The Federal Opposition - which had said lifting the ban would put Australia's beef industry and disease-free status in jeopardy - has welcomed Mr Burke's decision as a win for common sense.

This is for the ALP Agriculture Minister Tony 'Daffy Duck' Burke.