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WOMEN IN AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE
When economic rationalism is irrational Science, technology, and innovation are accelerating like never before in the agricultural industry to help achieve food security targets in this decade and beyond. Equally important are the 100 or so agricultural organisations in Australia that represent our farmers’ interests: Farmer Peak Bodies.
By Dr Joanne Sillince, A/CEO Australian Chicken Growers' Council
Your farm is under attack. Attack by federal and state governments who think they can keep on adding regulation and add- ing population and somehow the food will still keep flowing, and in excess so they can claim they “caused” all the exports to help keep the country’s books in the black. Attack by well-funded city-based animal ac- tivists and environmental movements who can raid your farm, steal your animals, and have legislation introduced that will inhibit your right to farm and increase your costs, all the while al- leging that you are cruel and uncaring, or that you are harming the environment. Attack by media who can paint a story any way they like to get ratings because they need the ad- vertising revenue, falling for any gory photo fed to them by well-funded activists. Attack by well-funded energy and mining com- panies who can just walk in your gates and tromp all over your land, destroy your biosecurity, and re- strict your right to do agribusiness on all or part of the property that you or your family purchased with hard-earned money, all for their own financial gain. Seriously, someone ought to do something. The government ought to do something. But governments respond to what they believe are the desires of the largest numbers of voters -
the loudest voices. Even with all the will and effort in the world, they can’t canvass the population every time some group mounts a campaign – and in any case, populations can be made to believe all sorts of things.
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