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Local vs. Imported food – Just what does it mean to Australia by Chantelle Rushton
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Transcript of Local vs. Imported food – Just what does it mean to Australia by Chantelle Rushton
Chantelle Rushton Caroline Chisholm College
Hi there!My name is Chantelle.
I am a student in Year 10 studying Agriculture.
I chose Agriculture as an elective because I was
interested in food production and natural resource
management
Agriculture is important to my region, but it is under
growing pressure from urban development and
competition from cheaper imported foods
I live in Western Sydney – an urban
area fringed by farms growing fresh food for the people of Sydney
I was lucky to be part of The Archibull Project at my School, where we use ART to communicate TECHNICAL concepts about issues affecting Agriculture in my region by
painting on fibreglass calf “canvases”.Through ARCHIBULL I was able to draw from my experience and put my ideas and
thoughts together and discover what local versus imported food means to Australia !
I represent CONNECTED farming and
SUSTAINABLEResource
management!
By Chantelle RushtonCaroline Chisholm College,Glenmore Park, NSW
Here’s my Question…
REASONS FOR IMPORTING FOOD:A BIGGER VARIETY OF
PRODUCTS and it sometimes COSTS LESS COMPARED TO BUYING LOCAL PRODUCTS!
SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMERS means JOBS and
FRESH FOOD!
It’s also important to have wide open
spaces and CONNECT with the
natural world!
PRESERVING RURAL
FARMLAND AND PREVENTING
URBAN SPRAWL !
AND SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMERS MEANS SUPPORTING THE WHOLEECONOMY!
…FOOD TASTES BETTER AS IT HASN’T HAD TO TRAVEL AS
MANY “FOOD MILES”
Apart from minimizing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions when transporting
goods from the crop to the table…
WHAT ARE FOOD MILES?“Food miles” means the distance that food has travelled from the time of its production…
… to the time it reaches the consumer.
POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION from unknown farming & storage practices…
…and a LOSS OF NUTRITIONAL VALUE of fruit and vegetablesRef:http://www.abare.gov.au/publications_html/crops/crops_09/foodmiles.pdf
LET’S FACE IT, BY IMPORTING FOOD WE
ARE NOT SUPPORTING LOCALFARMERS OR OUR
ECONOMY !
We could have just as much choice of
product with better investment
in local enterprises!
FOR FOOD ALLOWED TO BE PASSED INTO THE COUNTRY IT HAS TO PASS STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS SET BY THE IMPORTED FOOD CONTROL ACT 1992
WITHOUT THESE STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS WE COULD BE BRINGING IN SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS OR HAZARDS TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT.
Ref:http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/food
And there’s the concept of “CARBON EMISSIONS”
The NSW Government has Advertisements showing Carbon emissions as black balloons coming out of the machines we use that use up energy from fossil fuels…
…Agriculture has been shown to release lots of such GREENHOUSE GASES
CARBON EMISSIONS CAN COME FROM DECAYING PLANTS AND SOIL
CO2 ENTERS PLANTS THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS
AS PLANTS GROW they STORE CARBON IN ROOTS
WHEN PLANTS DECOMPOSE the CARBON REMAINS in a ‘CARBON BANK’ in soil
CARBON STORED AS ORGANIC MATERIAL IS RELEASED INTO AMTOSPHERE AS CO2 , the ‘CARBON DEBT’
WHEN WE USE CORN ETHANOL AS PETROLWE REPAY THE DEBT as ‘CARBON CREDIT’
BUT IT COULD BE DECADESBEFORE the DEBTIS REPAID.
http://www.globalwarmingisreal.com/2009/02/11/carbon-debt-explained/Carbon Balloon Ad (Your Carbon Contribution) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLDPEQzlck
If there is INCREASED
PRICING FOR IRRIGATION, then there is
NO PROFIT FOR FARMERS !
Conflict between water users – URBAN versus
RURAL versus RECREATIONAL …Can
the SAME policy be used for all areas?
The fact is there are DIFFERENT WATER SUPPLY AND COSTS depending on the
different areas and uses!
Which means consumers take the time to find out about local produce, buy it, and use it to prepare home-cooked meals (instead of fast-food)
GOOD, CLEAN, FAIR FOOD
ONE SOLUTION COMES FROM A MOVEMENT CALLED
Ref: http://www.slowfoodaustralia.com.au
WORKING WITH SCHOOL COMMUNITIES TO MAKE KITCHEN GARDENS.
PROMOTING wholesome FOOD WORKING TOGETHER
TO MARKET locally produced FOOD
Another solution comes by STRENGTHENING AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL STANDARDS
Develop food standards to ensure industry and trade
interests are considered !
Ref: http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/food/ifsi
CONSUMERS can TRUST that Australian Products are the best
on the market!
http://www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Website/Woolworths/Community/04Sustainability/#SustainableSupermarkets
•Low flow taps for all sinks and taps
•Having calico bags instead of plastic bags
Big companies are designing SOLUTIONS and INTIATIVES to MAKE FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE
So, what does “Australian grown
and produced” mean to
Australians?
Buying Australian Grown is good for all Australians. It creates jobs, boosts the economy and improves our standard of living. Buying Australian Grown also means getting fresh produce that has been grown and processed to high Australian standards. The Australian Grown brand is an easy way for consumers to identify produce that is Australian. The famous green and gold logo is a guarantee that the product carrying the logo is Australian.
Only products which meet the criteria set out in the Australian Made, Australian Grown
Code of Practice can qualify to carry the logo.Research released by Roy Morgan (2006 -2010) clearly shows that
Australian consumers want to buy Australian and that more than two thirds consciously do so whenever possible.
[ http://www.australianmade.com.au/research ]
So Australian Farmers should actively promote their produce as being
locally grown…the consumers want to know
about it …let’s make it easier for people to show
how much they value“HOME-GROWN” products
by supporting local farmers!
Thanks to all the teachers,
students, farmers, and promoters of
Agriculture in Australia…you enrich all of us with food, fibre
and shelter!
GOLD SILVERPLATINUM
BRONZE
WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE SPONSORS OF THE 2010 CREAM OF THE CROP COMPETITION