Or should I say mug shot?!
The photo below belongs on the wall of …
Each employee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, especially those who ignored previous complaints about this operation, if they’re still employed at MAF.
Each farmer in New Zealand, as a reminder of what kind of “farmer” not to be.
Each tutor and instructor at every NZ educational institution responsible for training NZ’s next generations of farmers.
Each banker who lends to this and other NZ farmers, without the slightest concern about what activities they’re actually financing.
Each MP, from the Minister of Tourism, John Key, on down.
Each NZ exporter whose livelihood depends in the remotest way on this country’s “100% Pure” image.
Each senior manager of Fonterra, who is still hedging on its future relationship with this dairying operation.
Each employee of the new Environmental Protection Agency, perhaps with the motto: “We exist to protect.”
Each regional councillor in the country, with special wallet-sized versions for Hawke’s Bay Regional Councillors to carry at all times, given that they have a Crafar farm to deal with.
What a test of accountability this Crafar travesty represents for the farming establishment of New Zealand.
Tom Belford
P.S. In case you or any of the above individuals need a reminder about why they should be staring at Allan Crafar’s photo, here is the video evidence of how the biggest family-owned dairying enterprise in NZ operates (warning: it’s graphic and very disturbing). Then add environmental abuse, for which Crafar has been fined repeatedly, to the animal abuse depicted in the video. Photo and video credits to www.interest.co.nz
The nation's biggest family-owned group of dairy farms, Crafar Farms, was today placed in receivership.
The receivership covers four companies run by the Crafar’s involving 20 farming properties.
“There is a formal process in place. This is not a fire sale,” said Korda Mentha's Michael Stiassny who along with Brendon Gibson has been appointed receivers.
MAF began inspecting Crafar Farms last week for animal neglect following the slaughter of cows from one farm.
Mr Stiassny said animal welfare was the priority and the receivership was complicated by the current bad weather conditions hitting the North Island.
He said they were getting co-operation from the Crafars: “We are holding discussions. I think its fair to say at the moment we have common interest around the welfare of animals on the farm and workers on the farm and therefore have co-operation.”
It is understood Crafar Farms owes its banks Westpac, Rabobank and PGG Wrightson Finance around NZ$200 million.
Obviously you are among the countless ill-informed fools in this country that are basing criticism on 3rd, 4th or 5th hand speculation that has little or no relevance to the actual facts of a situation involving some of the best farmers in the country. If you took the time to do some research and had any understanding of the dairy industry you would be barking up a different tree. Before you go accusing people about things that are well outside your ability to understand, you should take a look at your own life and your own contribution to the destruction of our environment. How many resource devouring multi-national corporations do you support with your dirty dollar? Supermarkets? the warehouse? fuel companies? car companies? obviously telecommunications companies! Have you researched the effect your own life has on the world? Or is it easier to be a sheep like the rest of NZ and use a scapegoat to throw all your abuse at in order to distract yourselves from the real issues at hand?
Lets look at cities shall we? Where most of you live I'm guessing. They are, in effect, toxic wastelands that generate vast quantities of toxic waste and devour enormous amounts of energy. the pollution created and resources used per hectare and per head of population in a city is not even remotely comparable to farming, especially if you take into account that it is consumerism on such a scale that generates the need for intensive farming to happen. My advice to you would be to first go and become totally self sufficient or at least stop supporting multi-national corperations, then go and do some research about the topics you wish to talk about before you bad mouth people you don't even know on topics you don't know the facts about. It is people like you that are destroying the lives of the people who have got this country to where it is. I will agree that we now need to address some serious issues about how we use the resources we have and, like I mentioned earlier, the first place to start is with ourselves. Pointing fingers will never solve anything.