Australia: Farmers getting riled over environmental policies

[Roadvirus]

This is the same kind of crap that brought protests in Europe and threatened to upend elections for parties. The Aussie gov't obviously weren't paying attention:

CANBERRA, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Hundreds of farmers from across Australia held a protest on Tuesday against government farming policies they said were influenced by environmental and animal welfare activists and which were harming their livelihoods.

Australia is one of the world's biggest agricultural exporters and farmers nationwide are increasingly angry with the centre-left Labor government that has sought to ban exports of live sheep, restrict water use and accelerate construction of renewable power and transmission in rural areas.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australian-farmers-protest-animal-environment-policies-they-say-harm-them-2024-09-10/

 

[Loulit01]

Australia is one of the world's biggest agricultural exporters and farmers nationwide are increasingly angry with the centre-left Labor government that has sought to ban exports of live sheep, restrict water use and accelerate construction of renewable power and transmission in rural areas.

The government's planning for the country's future. Can't have that.

 

[Roadvirus]

Australia is one of the world's biggest agricultural exporters and farmers nationwide are increasingly angry with the centre-left Labor government that has sought to ban exports of live sheep, restrict water use and accelerate construction of renewable power and transmission in rural areas.

The government's planning for the country's future. Can't have that.

And farmers are concerned about their livelihoods.

 

[bomberfox]

And farmers are concerned about their livelihoods.

We all are. Unfortunately if we dont tackle this our long term livelihoods are going to continue to get worse and certain communities wont get to experience a year without wildfires or even a fishing trip nearby.

Thats why i am concerned.

 

[phoenix2020]

Doing a bit of homework here:

Live sheep export: looks like this started with an incident in 2018 where 2,400 sheep were left to die of heat stress on a ship due to negligence, causing public uproar. The result was not a ban on the shipments but tighter controls, a requirement for observers on ships, and reducing the number of sheep allowed on boats by 28%. The farmers seemed satisfied with this compromise; the animal rights folks were not. Six years later, the government has announced it is winding down the entire industry by 2028. This seems like a walk-back by the government.

Renewables and grid expansion: every successful nation has built out high voltage grid transmission; what's happening here is nothing new. The issue seems to be that roughly half of the farmers insist that the lines be underground partly due to aesthetics and partly due to concern about fires; the government insists that would roughly double the cost. As a general rule, I believe that if the government uses eminent domain, it has an obligation to more than make good with those affected and therefore they should bend to farmers and deploy underground.

Water usage: the farmers should stop complaining, this is simply about good stewardship of resources. They've had bumper crops the last several years due to plentiful rain.

 

[german hick]

As a farmer myself, I can only shake my head about the colleagues...

Raised archconservative and catholic, I first voted for the fat man (Kohl - christian democratic union - center right) and then never again. They only pretend to care for the farmers, in fact they care for the big farming cooperations and destroy small family buisness with their politics since ever. If my colleagues would have been more open for enviromental ideas, I may still get my income from running my small farm and need not plan streets for other people for a living. ;o)

besides it´s better for all others in the future, but I wanted to show it´s also self interest bo be enviromental cautious

 

[multivita-man]

And farmers are concerned about their livelihoods.

In the end, nature (science) doesn't give a **** about livelihoods.