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- 15 August 2000
Tabbita Feedlot Cattle Deaths
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Page: 8171
Urgent Motion
[Debate resumed.]
Mr BLACK (Murray-Darling) [4.12 p.m.]: I speak at a difficult time as many honourable members feel deeply for the person who has left us in tragic circumstances. I support my coalition colleague the Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Land and Water Conservation in this matter, and I welcome the support of Opposition members. I note the presence in the Chamber of the honourable member for Pittwater. The future leader of the Liberal Party informs me that there is one feedlot, McDonald's, in his electorate. There are many feedlots in western New South Wales. Tabbita, the one we are discussing, is situated just outside the electorate of Murray-Darling on the road from Goolgowi to Griffith. There is a significant feedlot at Ravensworth in my electorate.
I note the comments of the honourable member for Bathurst about getting approval for feedlots across the State, council objections and so on. I assure the honourable member that that was not the case in the Hay shire. Although it is not working today as it should, Ravensworth was established in response to the efforts of former mayor Mick Beckwith and the current mayor, Mick Rutledge, who is endeavouring to ensure that the operation recovers. I also speak today with some sorrow. A 5,000-head milking herd is to be established at Balranald in response to the complete abrogation by the Federal National Party, which has deserted so many dairy farmers in New South Wales. At least it will create significant employment in Balranald.
I must cite some interesting statistics about the importance of feedlots. In the 1998 calendar year Australia exported 108,581 tonnes of grain-fed beef to Japan, which was an increase of 4 per cent over 1997. Last year that figure rose to 116,381 tonnes of grain-fed beef, which was an increase of 8 per cent over 1998. I noted the remarks of the honourable member for Bathurst, who spoke about the need for feedlots, and my mind returned to the argument that has continued over the years about who controls the price of beef. Beef is a major industry in western New South Wales. It is very important to the people of Murray-Darling and to members of the New South Wales Farmers Association and West Darling graziers, who support the objectives of Country Labor in so many ways.
The honourable member for Barwon said that we have a great reputation overseas for being clean and green. He was right about that, but he was wrong about the floor price. Unfortunately, the United States of America, which is a major player in world trade, offers its farmers approximately $28 billion in subsidies. Australia has a major problem because we cannot compete with the subsidies offered by other countries, but feedlots offer us the opportunity to have at least some say. We would not be discussing feedlots today if it were not for the fact that the Federal National Party is divorced from reality. John Anderson and Warren Truss have failed to address the world trade imbalance. We would have much more grass-fed beef in western New South Wales if the Federal National Party had not failed to address the inherent distortion of world markets caused by the American farm bill. I commend the motion to the House.
Mr AMERY (Mount Druitt—Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Land and Water Conservation) [4.17 p.m.], in reply: I thank the honourable member for Barwon, who led for the Opposition, the honourable member for Bathurst, the honourable member for Lismore and the honourable member for Murray-Darling for their contributions to this debate and for supporting the motion. They all referred to the value of the feedlot industry not only to the economy of New South Wales and Australia but to the beef industry, and therefore the farming sector. The Government will continue to support the feedlot system. However, incidents such as the one to which honourable members have referred in this debate involving the loss of 1,250 cattle in a feedlot near Griffith dents the reputation and standing of both feedlots and intensive farming systems.
As parliamentarians, we are continually lobbied by various groups—particularly animal welfare organisations—that would like to see an end to intensive farming, be it in the pig industry, the egg industry, the rabbit meat industry or cattle feedlots. There is constant pressure on those organisations to win the public debate and on producers to make intensive farming as humane as possible while meeting required production levels and addressing real animal welfare concerns. It is an international debate and the pressure is on those industries—and on cattle feedlots—to continue to improve and address real animal welfare concerns. Incidents such as this dent their case somewhat.
In a debate such as this there is often a clash between our strong belief in animal welfare considerations and our general role of producing clean, green food, which several honourable members mentioned, for an ever-increasing population. We would all like to see animals grazing in green pastures and producing food as they did in years gone by. However, we must accept the fact that, as recently as 1960, there were only three billion people on the planet yet some 40 years later the world population is six billion. Therefore, there is pressure on all nations around the world to produce far more successfully than they did in years gone by. Hence, we will always have these clashes and these debates about intensive farming systems and their role in the broader animal welfare debate.
It is very important for the image of the feedlot industry that the code of practice that has been in operation for some time—and which did not prevent the loss of 1,250 cattle in one feedlot—should be reviewed. I welcome the recommendations of not only my appointed review committee but also the industry committee, that changes must be made. Draft recommendations will be made at the meeting this week of the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand [ARMCANZ] which will result in improved provisions of the code of practice, and it is hoped that those improvements will result in the elimination of circumstances leading to the death of such a large number of cattle in a short period of time.
The honourable member for Murray-Darling pointed out the importance of the intensive farming systems to rural New South Wales. He referred to both the present and past mayors of Hay and their role in attracting industry and jobs to their part of the State. He referred to the application for a 5,000-head dairy farm, which would operate under an intensive system. I do not know whether that application has been approved. The proposal is that the cattle would be grain fed, and that the farm would be a substantial milk producer not only for New South Wales but possibly other States as well. More requests for intensive farming systems are being made right across the board. It is imperative that the proponents of these systems ensure that animal welfare is addressed, or they will risk losing the debate and putting pressure on the existence of those systems in the years and decades ahead. I thank all honourable members on both sides of the House for their support of this motion. I will certainly report later this week or next week on the outcome of the ARMCANZ meeting on this subject.
Motion agreed to.
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