Free trade more important than public health in Australia

[the_hawk*]

Dangerous levels of lead found in imported canned peaches and no one stops them from being imported

http://www.sharmanstone.com/MediaandSpeeches/MediaReleases/tabid/73/articleType/ArticleView/articleI...

[freakiness]

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@newstart2380 wrote:

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@the_hawk* wrote:

well in the light of the SPC thread I thought this was a valid point for keeping food production going in Oz for our personal health as well as the health of our economy.

The way our farms are being sold off to foreign countries because farmers cant get any assistance.

the clean food will end up being exported back home and we will end up importing contaminated rubbish to feed our kids.

food for thought

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Could not agree more with everything you have said BUT - the farmers decide who they will sell to and like all business people will sell to the highest bidder, unfortunately that's how it is and the population will scream even louder if they the tax payer is forced to prop up the farmers. We cannot have it both ways. We want ownership to stay in Australia but we don't want to help the farmer so he makes a living and is not selling below the production costs to him. Because of our huge costs in production (wages etc) we cannot compete and until people realise we all have to make some sacrifice it won't change.

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It's not the wages, it's the technology. 

The large new Asian factories can process at a much higher volume with fewer people.

[cherry*135]

Keep in mind, that Woolies, Coles & Aldi homebrand peaches, apricots & pears (maybe more fruit) are or are going to be supplied by SPC - Australian grown fruit.

No longer imported fruit.

[cherry*135]

No, for SPC, it's not the wages, as Abbott & Co claim

Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz misrepresenting SPC Ardmona, says Liberal MP Sharman Stone

 Dr Stone, the local Liberal MP, lashed out at claims the enterprise agreement was responsible for SPC's woes, saying it had already undergone a "massive'' restructuring.

Asked if Mr Abbott and Mr Abetz were lying about their reasons for refusing the assistance she said: "You could use the words you like''.

SPC Director

We are doing our best to reduce all costs across the business, however the serious problems that have beset SPCA have not been because of labour costs and certainly not from the allowances, a fact borne out by the Productivity Commission's recent analysis,'' he said in a statement today.

"The business has been severely damaged in recent times by a perfect storm created by external economic factors - the high Australian dollar, which appreciated more than 50 per cent from 2009 to 2013, has both enabled the flood of cheap imported product to be sold in Australia below the cost of production here, and also decimated the company's export markets.''

He said the company has been hit by the dumping of cheap imported fruit and vegetable products into the Australian market and tariff issues, while its growers have suffered adverse weather.

 http://www.news.com.au/national/tony-abbott-eric-abetz-misrepresenting-spc-ardmona-says-liberal-mp-s...