The latest sellout of an Australian food producer?
Tully Sugar:
As another chunk of Australian agribusiness shifted into foreign ownership yesterday with the sale of a giant north Queensland sugar mill, Alf Cristaudo said sadly: “The Chinese think long-term, we think short-term.”
Mr Cristaudo, a third-generation sugar farmer and boss of industry association Cane-growers Australia, has no issue with the nationality of the Tully mill’s buyer, the state-owned China Oil and Food Company. His concern is that Australia is selling off its food-producing capacity, piece-by-piece, without thinking through the implications of what foreign ownership means.
And as with the Great Global Warming Hoax, it is seemingly only those who actually have feet firmly planted on the ground – those who actually live in nature, rather than concrete – who are aware of the very real threat to Australian’s independent sustainability as a sovereign nation.
From the Australian (emphasis added):
Food security the fear as foreign investors rush in
The peak farmers group has warned that increased global demand for food is leading to a new wave of foreign investment in Australian agriculture that could stifle competition and compromise national food security.
The warning was backed by a leading food security authority and Nationals Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce, who warned too much foreign ownership could lead to a “clash of sovereignty” and diplomatic tensions with a range of foreign governments, including China.
National Farmers Federation president Jock Laurie warns in an opinion piece for The Australian today that foreign investment has entered a new phase over the past four years. He says there is potential for foreign state-owned enterprises to undercut Australian farmers by using their land acquisitions to ship produce back to feed their home populations.
“This raises the question of transparency in the supply chain, potentially jeopardising competition at the farm gate and depressing the local market. At an extreme level, this could also lead to Australia’s own food security goals being compromised,” he writes.
Food security expert and author Julian Cribb backed the NFF’s concerns. “China is trying to shore up its own position. It’s using its new wealth to buy up resources, which includes food. And yes, it might imperil our food security,” he said. “If farmers are getting screwed in the marketplace for the price paid for their produce, they have less money to invest in better and more sustainable farming systems.”
Senator Barnaby Joyce has been a consistent advocate and loud warning voice on this issue. Here’s what he had to say in the same article:
Senator Joyce said yesterday that he had “serious issues” with investment from any foreign state-owned enterprise, because it could lead to diplomatic fallout “one thousand” times greater than that with Indonesia over the ban on live cattle exports.
“You get a clash of sovereignties. You might take an individual to court or a corporation to court. But I think you’ll be very concerned if you take a country to court especially when that country is far bigger and can choose to be far nastier than the one you live in,” he said.
“When the person you’re taking to court has nuclear weapons, you better be a little bit cautious about what you say next.”
Barnaby is right.
Again.
And he seems to have a greater intuitive grasp of foreign policy risk issues than the current band of roving disasters.
Barnaby for PM … Treasurer … and Foreign Minister?
Don’t miss Barnaby’s must-read article in the Canberra Times, concerning Australia’s future food security –
And be inspired to take action, by this brilliant Aussie bush poem by an Author unknown –
Barnaby Is Right 
Greens seem to be yelling about this as well. maybe its time for a teamup 🙂
lol
I actually think that is precisely what is needed, Daniel.
Imagine what could happen if more of those of a “green” persuasion could be convinced of one key point – that the proposed “solution” for “global warming”” is a bankster scam. They hate banksters too, broadly speaking.