Why do we need another chicken blog or forum?


Many chicken forums are moderated to sell commercial feed, chemicals and ideology.
I prefer to find my own balance between nature, welfare and cost in raising happy chickens.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Removal of right to grow food, coming to a country near you!

New Zealand has apparently passed a law relating to food which is of great interest to anyone growing their own (whether meat or vegetables or anything medicinal). The link below explains how the law makes it a state-granted privilege, not a right, to grow and trade (or swap) seeds and food.

http://nzfoodsecurity.org/

Such laws will happen here in Australia too, but it's arguable that they're designed purely to enhance the interests of big multinational corporations like Monsanto. It's very hard to see how they could enhance the interests of a population subject to the laws. Indeed, if food safety really is the issue, why is the distribution of seeds subject to the new law?

There's not much point feeling sorry for New Zealanders because it's merely a matter of time before the laws are introduced here. If gun-toting police can raid an organic shop in New Zealand, rest assured, they will eventually be able to raid a chicken breeder's backyard under similar laws here.

Ever since the 1990s corporations have been among the top ten global economies. They have revolving door access to governments, and as the Kevin Rudd issue shows (deposed by mining corporation pressure through media influence) they can effect regime change. I shouldn't be surprised by the extent of corporate power over lawmaking, but I can't help feeling depressed by the speed with which our global landscape is being incorporated.

Most frighteningly, the drive for profit has no boundary, no upper-end. There's never a point where corporations say 'enough' -- just look at battery chickens. Corporations aren't happy enough with seven week broilers; they're constantly looking for ways to make the process cheaper and shorter. They're genetically modifying broilers as we speak. So rest assured, we haven't seen the last of the encroachments on our age-old human rights... After all, to a mega-corporation obsessed with profit, what's the difference between a battery hen and a human being?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I really think that this whole thing is consumer driven. Yes, okay the big corporations like Monsanto get rich on it, but would they, if there wasn't a market for their products? If the increase in mass production is consumer driven, then the decrease in it can also be consumer driven. We have the power to influence this, probably more so than big dollar corps. We need to lose our complacency, I think and stop leaving all this stuff up to government to manage and take back some of our own power.

Manda said...

The moment the pollies start on this here in Australia, you let us know. Marty and I will be at your side at the protest!

Anonymous said...

Bloody scary stuff, trouble is Australians as a whole are pretty apathetic.

There should have already been lots of attention on the fact that we are now importing processed foods from China (eg lots of lollies, happened to notice when buying for a childs birthday party). It is impossible to buy clothing made in Australia in all my local retail outlets. Most goods of nearly all descriptions are made overseas. Yet all we hear about is Coal seam gas and climate change, both of these are no immediate threat at least in NSW.

THe issue of our food security should outweigh everything else.

It obviously must not be sensational enough to make it to a current affair or today tonight after all who is going to make a profit if we grow our own food?

off the soapbox

Larissa