Yes..after a five year hiatus I am back in blog land...and as frustrated back then as I am now!Somehow the urban/rural divide has grown and that was never more clearer than in the hysteria I like to call "successful sheep shipment to Mexico."
I have no position on sheep exports...but I have grown up in a farming community. I have witnessed animal welfare standards first hand and I know how much money is lost when a lamb dies.
Peter Walsh had the balls to say he could take this contract on...and no SAFE there was no dilly dallying over numbers...there was I think 76 farmers who supplied the VERY BEST in breeding stock for this shipment. Peter has been clear from the start about all figures.
People said this shipment was a secret! I knew about it from February this year...MPI releases figures as soon as you ask for them...I can only say that SAFE and the other activists were not bothered with ringing the right people.
Peter would have talked to these people had they rung. And when you say he should have talked about it from the start I say why the hell would he embark on a publicity witch-hunt willingly?
Peter and Karen Walsh are decent people. They would never condone animal welfare violence. This was a shipment that was carried out with every sheep in mind. Peter has a long history in the sheep industry. He is not a villain. He doesn't make huge amounts of money out of these shipments but he does care about farmers and their stock!
SAFE and others say this was done in secret but that is simply not true. Peter and Karen were advertising on their website for many months for farmers to supply them with sheep...I'm sorry they didn't notify you guys...hang on - was that an MPI requirement?
And now the positives that SAFE can't say even though Hans told our feisty Ashburton reporter Daisy Hudson yesterday that the death rate "wasn't too bad" - this shipment could have been a two week period on a big sheep farm. Actually, with the snow in the South Island there would have been a lot more lost...but why should we let facts get in the way of a good story.
I supplied Paul Henry, TV2 and HDPA with photos and urged them to look at the data. What did they do? Well...Paul Henry decided to have SAFE on without balance, TV1 did nothing as it wasn't headline news...do you understand the picture!
I was twitter trolled last night by people asking me if I loved the lambs on my farm! Do those same people ask about animal welfare at point of sale?
$15 million came into our economy in a terrible year for farmers. I honestly am shocked at urban complaints...Look at the photos and good on you Peter for having the guts to do what others wouldn't. I really hope you keep going - for the NZ farmer's sake.
That's not to say that what went on in Saudi Arabia wasn't bad. I don't know one single farmer that doesn't feel uncomfortable with exporting live sheep for slaughter...but what if we could regulate..what if we could find countries who wouldn't do that?
And now ladies and gentlemen: the facts according to SAFE on TV when sheep left:
They said 30% would die....0.4 sheep died
They said sheep were starving in dustbowl on feedlot before they left: If they had bothered to check they would have found that we had a wet month...there was no dust! Sheep were acclimatised on pellets. Apparently at least another 2000 sheep were lined up at the feedlot had there been any "shy feeders on board"
They said today that "many sheep died of starvation": When they were questioned they backtracked and said this was what happened in the past.
The real question is why the media gives these people air? They have no facts!
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