Federated Farmers is up to its old tricks again. This time, it’s pressuring the Government to quash an education programme that encourages children to eat less meat.
Why would it do that?
Federated Farmers claims that the climate change resource, which has been created by the Ministry of Education, is inappropriate in New Zealand, the inference being that somehow Big Ag is cleaner and greener here than elsewhere.
It’s not surprising that the industry body would stick up for its members, but Federated Farmers is acting more and more like a law unto themselves and, like America’s all-powerful gun lobby, it continues to push an agenda that represents the views of its most retrogressive constituents.
The fact is, there are many farmers who are upping their game, and many others who are switching to horticulture, but it’s the rowdy rednecks that always get heard, along with those who have invested in industrial farming practices that will never square with environmental science.
A shocking example of the head-in-the-sand attitude of Federated Farmers was highlighted on the TV news the other night when an environmental scientist claimed that prior to the mycoplasma bovis outbreak, the organisation actively discouraged farmers from using the computerised system for monitoring herd numbers and movements (from one place to another). Had farmers used the automated system, then perhaps the outbreak may never have happened.
And now, this lobby group, which wants the ‘eat less meat’ advice omitted, is attacking an educational programme with advice based on hard science and the course changed in other ways, supposedly to better reflect New Zealand’s supposedly unique situation.
It would be laughable if Federated Farmers didn’t hold such sway over Government. Our farmers have already got a sweet deal with the concessions made by the coalition in their climate change policy – but clearly, that’s not enough. It’s not enough that New Zealand agriculture is bombing our land with super phosphate and chemicals, ruining our rivers with farm run-off and packing the land with more animals than the environment can cope with.
Nope, all that matters is that our farmers are the ‘salt of the earth’ and the farming export industry is one of our top earners. Because, well… to hell with our children’s children who will be paying the price for this woefully short-term greed.
Federated Farmers has launched a petition to change the programme, and NZ Beef And Lamb have also slammed it simply for its contention – widely supported by science and health professionals – that eating less meat is better for both the environment and human health.
It would be a sad day indeed if the Government backed down and ordered the Ministry of Education to review the climate change programme simply because of the irresponsible indignation of a lobby group that’s increasingly coming across like some kind of remnant from the last century.
Philip McKibbin of the NZ Vegetarian Society had this to say about Federated Farmers’ attitude: “According to the Government, here in New Zealand animal agriculture accounts for almost 50% of our greenhouse gas emissions.
“This isn’t a conspiracy – it says this very clearly on the Ministry for Primary Industry’s website. MPI isn’t an anti-farming organisation; in fact, it’s the government department that’s most supportive of our farmers. Even they admit that there’s a serious problem.”
Perhaps it’s time for farmer-supporting organisations to encourage their members to check out the huge growth in veganism in New Zealand and to support any move towards horticulture? Maybe, they would be better petitioning Government for horticulture-transitioning subsidies than attacking science-based environmental courses. (GARY STEEL)
Gary Steel is an Auckland-based journalist who runs online vegetarian resource www.doctorfeelgood.co.nz
He can be contacted via beautmusic@gmail.com
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