New Zealand takes away right to grow food

Discussion in 'News from around the damp planet' started by insipidtoast, Nov 24, 2011.

  1. insipidtoast

    insipidtoast Junior Member

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  2. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Sorry insipid, but that's complete crap. Yes there is a food bill, no it's not intended to be as draconian as presented on the website. There has been media coverage of this here, and people are aware of the issues and they're being worked through (including with the relevant minister of the crown).

    NZ Minister for Food Safety

    https://www.organicnz.org/organic-n...he-minister-for-food-safety-re-the-food-bill/
     
  3. CraigMackintosh

    CraigMackintosh *****

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  4. insipidtoast

    insipidtoast Junior Member

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    Good article Craig. Except for the cut at Alex Jones. Infowars has a large staff and the articles are not necessarily written or reviewed by Alex Jones. The article submitted in this case is actually from a different website entirely.

    Furthermore, the info wars article states, in reference to activities such as seed saving, "all will be potentially illegal." Keyword: "potentially." So I don't see how the article is a bunch of crap.

    In fact, in your article, Craig, you mention how the negative responses to the bill have led to the impetus for amendments.

    Here is a snippet of Craig's article:
    "If you’re a New Zealander, and you haven’t already, you can submit your petition against Food Bill 160-2 here. Please don’t shout "conspiracy" — but do enunciate the great need to disincentivise dangerous, chemical-based monocrop systems in favour of incentivising healthy polycultural systems that build and develop soils and water tables, rather than deplete and contaminate them."

    Agri-business lobbying governments to pass food bills to outcompete and essentially illegalize small farming activities is what I call a conspiracy, and that is something that is quite clearly happening in my country.

    Maybe someone can highlight the parts of this bill that might be viewed as beneficial to permaculturists? Since this bill has generated such a negative response, I would imagine the potentially beneficial parts of the bill would be highly dubious.
     
  5. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    The most obvious problem here is the WTO.
    As far as I know, which I admit isnt very much, this is a corporation or bunch of them that has the purpose of making money.
    How they get the power and that they seem to have this right to make countries put bills in place that are detrimental to the rights of the individual countries and thier people is frightening.

    Somehow we have to support our governments in resisting these selfish people.

    This sort of bill is a symptom not a cause of problems and/or future problems.
     
  6. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    Whatever the website the info came from, I've submitted my objection to the bill.
    I think the whole thing is a corporate attempt to control (and profit from) all food.
    I buy raw milk and 'they' have a pretty clear agenda to outlaw it.
     
  7. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Pippi, did you see the MAF call for submissions on raw milk sales in NZ? Have to be in before 5th Dec.

    https://www.frot.co.nz/milk/home.htm

    I'm less concerned about the Food bill, which is being done in the public eye, than the free trade agreements being negotiated that are entirely secret because of 'commercial' sensitivity. We have an election on Sat and the only party that knows about current agreements being negotiated (which the next govt will be bound to) is the encumbent govt. All other parties are not allowed access to the information. *that's* where our sovereignty is being signed away.
     
  8. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    Hi pebble,
    yip, MAF's got my subission. I thought I posted a link to the submission page, but apparently not!
    I think there's all sorts of stuff going on under the radar.
    WTO, TTP, free trade pressure, Fonterra pressure...
    I don't feel in the least like I could be being paranoid: they ARE out to get me, my milk, my bartering, my seeds, WAhhh=(
     
  9. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    Monsanto attempted something like this in America. The less than honorable rep from CT's husband is a boardmember of Monsanto, and the CT rep tried to push through his companies agenda. Their plot was to stop all farmers markets in the US.

    It's a world wide fight folks. :(
     
  10. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    Unfortunately you may well be right about that,Pakabuddy.

    Having read the info on what maf are trying to do, I dont think we have too much of a problem.
    I think they know very well that if they do try to change this to much, people will just go on doing it on the quiet.
    I only founjd out that we were actually allowed to buy raw milk this year.
    If I had known we could then I would have started years ago.

    I think its most likely that Fonterra is behind this.
    They have been trying to say that all milk that hits the vat belongs to them, pity they dont pay for it if their tankers dont bother to show up and collect.
     
  11. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    mischief,
    Farmers can still (for now) legally sell their 5l straight from the cow, but I'm pretty sure all the milk that hits the vat ALREADY belongs to Fonterra, if they're the milk 'owner' in question.
    I'll go a long way to avoid Fonterra and that's not easy in this country!
     
  12. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    You can sell 5L per day per person from the gate, but you still need a Risk Management Plan, and that's the thing that is putting off small farmers (it costs several thousand dollars). Medium to large farmers already have an RMP because they're selling to Fonterra etc. So it's the people with five or ten goats, or a couple of house cows that can't easily sell their excess milk. I can't see any reason why we can't have legislation that exempts them from the RMPs so long as their milk is clearly labelled as coming from a home farm situation, or gives them a cheaper version. We need to put that in the MAF submissions.
     
  13. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    'My' farmer wrote a submission template for his customers and requesting MAF build RMP exemption or adaption for small producers into the bill was part of it.
     
  14. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    That's excellent to hear, thanks Leila. Is there a copy of the template online? PM me if you feel like it.
     
  15. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    I'd be interested in that too.

    Have to re read that link on the submissions thing to get a better understanding on the options they have presented.
    The dairy industry must be the only one where they think it will be ok to tell a producer how many customers they are allowed to have,thats nuts, but AI'll bet they are trying to pander to fonterra with this point.
     
  16. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    pebble, the site won't let me send you a pm for some reason.
    It was sent as an email, so I better not put it up here! I'm sure I can pm it though. It's pretty basic, but I find it heaps easier fiddling with someone elses' stuff than actually writing my own!
     
  17. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    I spoke with my farmer on friday and learnt that our farmers have not been notified that the milk clause is under review.
    I noticed after rereading he maf doc that they have as part of the options things like regulating the numbers of customers a farmer may have, stating 20 would be good and suggesting we go on a data base in case we get poisoned by our fresh milk.
    hmmm that would make the farmers name available to Fonterra.
    ...Have you ever heard of any other producer who has to limit the number of customers they can have????
    Can you imagine a supermarket telling its customers..."sorry, we've had our 1000 customers for the day, we cant serve you"

    I also noticed that although MAf state farmers need to have a risk management program, that they havent actually provided one to be followed and do are not enforcing this at this point anyway,nor do they seem to think they can.

    I asked my farmer exactly what the risk management program was and he shrugged and said exactly, he makes sure his cows are well looked after, well fed, treated well so they dont get sick, its not hard to do.
    Happy cow give 'happy' milk.

    I always go into the milk parlour and watch the cows being milked and I am absolutely satisfied that these girls are well looked after,and obviously not stressed- stressed cows shit Everywhere but that was one thing I noticed right off was there was No pats.
    At first I was disappointed-thinking maybe there would be free manure for the compost.lol
    Acually I might ask if I can help mysoef to any pats in the yard- dont really want to hike the fields for it.
     
  18. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    Well, it looks like the food bill will be going through this year.
    Sue Kedgeley from the Green party criticized us for not making our opinions known while it was in the submissions stage.
    Be nice if the MP's could be bothered to inform us as to what they are up to= a proper democracy.

    Everyone I've spoken to about this said they will just do as they are and to hell with them.
    Personally cant see our police going to the same extreme as happens overseas.
     
  19. insipidtoast

    insipidtoast Junior Member

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    don't worry the CIA is going to start exporting terminator robots to enforce all you rabble
     
  20. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    haha yeah, we'll probably be labelled as food terrorist and be abducted to work in dirty monsanto fields to make up for our naughty ways....or tortured with icides.
     

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