Subject: Re: British Beef Situation

From: [email-masked] (Sandy)
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 1996 14:07:57 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] wrote:

>Sigh.... it's beginning to seem like we can't eat anything, meat 
>will kill you, you can't eat fish 'cos the sea's polluted and the
>veggies are covered in pesticide.  What hope for the future of RFC!

It DOES make you want to become a vegetarian, doesn't it?  I very seldom
eat red meat anyway, and this makes me go off it entirely.  My family too.

I think it's important to support your local organic markets for just this
reason, if you can afford to.  I know they're expensive, but if you become
a vegetarian and buy ONLY your fruits and vegetables there, you can then
go to a normal grocery store for your soap, toothpaste, etc.

It seems to me that as long as we separate people from the food they eat,
i.e. turn away from a self-sufficient, agricultural society into a more
industrialized society, this can be the ONLY effect.  When farmers
specialize in producing monocrops, they're naturally going to try to
increase yields using fertilizers, pesticides, whatever they can get their
hands on to survive in the marketplace.

I think the only way we can create personal safety in our food supply is
to grow/raise it ourselves.  Hmm... maybe there's a
alt.sustainable.agriculture I should take this to, <g>.

--Sandy

________________________________________________________

I would be the least among men with dreams and desire
to fulfill them, rather than the greatest with no
dreams and no desires.

---Kahlil Gibran
________________________________________________________
 [email-masked]        www.pacifier.com/~smiller

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From: [email-masked] (Bryan)
Date: Tue, 02 Apr 1996 22:03:13 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, Sandy ([email-masked]) writes:
>I think it's important to support your local organic markets

If the UK government and the EU have their way I cannot see how
there will be any organic beef.  Their plan is to slaughter and
remove from the food chain all stock over the age of 30 months.

We rear organic beef using grass and maize silage.  We reckon that
it takes our animals 3 years to "finish". 

 for just this
>go to a normal grocery store for your soap, toothpaste, etc.

As for vegetables I would not eat any veggies that we did not grow
ourselves.  Where we live is there is a large vegetable growing
industry.  They are always spraying something on some veg or other
- just in case of weeds, aphids etc, not to mention using huge
amounts of nitrogen.

Pcharn'kov!
--Bryan

Welcome to the Department of Redundancy Department!

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From: Oz <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 06:51:20 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>, Bryan <[email-masked]>
writes
>it takes our animals 3 years to "finish". 

When what is done is controlled by hysteria, many bad and extreme
decisions can get taken. This whole thing is largely a reaction to a
hysterical fear with little basis in fact. Many people will lose their
livelyhood, many innocent cattle will be slaughtered and doubtless many
suicides will result. All for no real reason.

------------------------------- 
'Oz     "When I knew little, all was certain. The more I learnt,
        the less sure I was. Is this the uncertainty principle?"

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From: john <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 15:59:28 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>, Oz
<[email-masked]> writes
>suicides will result. All for no real reason.

The effects of this hysteria are already taking place.
I estimate that my turnover is already 50% down and redundancies look likely.

Could the last person leaving the U.K. please turn of the lights.

-- 
john

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From: Oz <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 19:27:07 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>, john
<[email-masked]> writes
>Could the last person leaving the U.K. please turn of the lights.

Hey, John. You said you repaired Agricultural electronics. Are you the
people in Mid Wales that have a name for really professional work. I
had some kit a few years ago to get repaired and it went from one
incompetent firm to another (getting more damaged each time) and it
eventually ended up with some people in Wales. It came back looking like
new, with a guarantee and at half the price the others had quoted. It's
still working better than new after three years in the sh^h^h cowyard.

I have a friend in France who has been trying to get some Alfa out of
parlour feeders repaired. Can you do that? Repair is way better than
having to buy new. Maybe you have a retail catalogue?

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From: Blindeye <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Apr 1996 19:47:33 GMT

>In article <[email-masked]>, Oz

{snip}

>>suicides will result. All for no real reason.
No doubt that hysteria by the public results in dumb, reactionary moves by the body politic, but suicide????  Maybe I missed something in this thread, but I think you're reachin' just a wee bit.  Maybe even contributing to that good ole mass hysteria.

-Blindeye

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From: john <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1996 09:51:06 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>, Oz
<[email-masked]> writes
>having to buy new. Maybe you have a retail catalogue?

Yes thats us - Aesford Agritronics.

If i remember correctly we repaired some Alfa Laval o.o.p.f. equipment
for you. We usually only deal with the trade but made an exception as
you were having so much agro.

We repair a wide range of equipment and are the u.k. approved and recomended
repair centre for Alfa Laval, Fullwoods, and Gascoigne. We are also approved by
Alfa to deal through out Europe and are constantly looking for contacts.

Trade catalouges are available.

I glad that you were pleased with the service.

-- 
john

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From: Oz <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 07:47:52 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>, Blindeye
<[email-masked]> writes
>No doubt that hysteria by the public results in dumb, reactionary moves by the 
>body politic, but suicide????  Maybe I missed something in this thread, but I 
>think you're reachin' just a wee bit.  Maybe even contributing to that good ole 
>mass hysteria.

I wish I was. Farmers in UK were already the highest risk group for
suicides. The Samaritans have already put out a warning, and linked up
with ADAS to allow ADAS to hand out the Samaritan's phone number. If you
have spent a lifetime building up a herd, all of whome you know
personally, probably calved them and remember their mothers and
grandmothers, a mindless and useless slaughter because of the media is
tough to bear. If you lose your livelyhood as well ......

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From: Dean Lee <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 05 Apr 1996 15:46:17 +0000

> >>doubtless many suicides will result. All for no real reason.

>> >>but suicide????  Maybe I missed something in this thread,

As the suicide rate among UK farmers is second only to doctors, I 
wouldn't be at all surprised if there were some who could not face 
seeing what may be their whole lives work for some pedigree breeders, 
being slaughtered for no good reason other than to calm the publics 
irrational fears.

    -Dean-