Farmer Focus: Australian trade deal may not be all bad
James Playfair-Hannay © Angus Findlay I’m writing this while sitting in our daughter’s apartment in Sydney, enjoying sunshine and warmth. I have not ventured far into the country on this trip.
However, we did travel to the Hunter Valley, 100 miles north of Sydney, where there is plenty of evidence of city wealth and investment, with lots of wineries – many with wedding venues.
We stayed a couple of nights in Scone, which is the thoroughbred horse capital of Australia. While there, we went to a bull-riding rodeo, where the bulls appeared to be mostly of Bos indicus origin and had been bred for the job.
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Some of them were cranky and took a lot of management.
The riders climb onto the bulls in a cattle-crush-sized pen and ride bareback, with only a leather rope around the bull’s girth to hold onto.
Not only are the riders timed, but they also are judged on style and technique.
When the rider lets go of the rope, it automatically unwinds and falls off. The riders are challenged to stay aboard for eight seconds.
Some didn’t manage two and a couple succeeded riding for the full eight. Another couple were disqualified for technical infringements.
There is money to be made. Riders aged 18-37 travel throughout the country, mostly in the northern regions. One rider had earned more than £1m in his career so far.
It makes me wonder if this could be an attraction at our agricultural shows in the UK? I suspect that the animal welfare and health and safety regulations would deter such activity.
While wandering around Sydney doing some retail therapy and market research, I found the prices for food products to be considerably more expensive in Australia than the UK.
The population has grown to somewhere in the region of 29 million people, which will test their ability to be self-sufficient in food production.
I, therefore, believe that trade deals between UK and Australia will not be as damaging to UK agriculture as some farmers think.
It is also apparent that food labelling is considerably more transparent in Australia. The Aussies appear to be proud to consume their own produce rather than cheaper imports.