Source?This new FTA with China is being lauded as good news, particularly in the Murdoch rags, and particularly for the dairy industry, but this is a scenario that is now even more likely to happen:
A Chinese government owned company will buy prime agricultural land for a dairy "farm" of many thousands of cows. The cows will all be permanently shedded, often in pens, and will be fed hay/silage/grain from the farm or trucked in. They wont ever be allowed out to move around the paddock because this wastes energy. Farm workers will be shipped in directly from China and paid Chinese wages to work on the farm. Milk will be processed in Chinese owned factories and then flown direct to China.
There are so many things wrong with this scenario I don't know where to begin. But this is quite likely in the not too distant future for all the major dairy areas of Australia.
Not a partisan thing, I'm sure the ALP would have given us the same deal, but jesus christ on a stick what is our government doing?
Charger, have a read of this article to believe that Chinese investors are coming, and the fact that keeping cows in sheds is the future, and they want to do it with Chinese workers. As for the FTA, while the details are kept secret, they are lifting all Chinese investment decision scrutiny for anything under $1Bn (except in defence, media, telecoms), and if you think this government gives a flying fuck about Australian workers, well I wouldn't know where to start.Source?
2 things. I'm pretty sure the FTA won't void Australian safe guards in regards to workers rights and government oversight regarding foreign ownership.
The other thing regarding permanent shedding of cows. We are moving in the right direction with regards to cage hens/stall pork. I can't see Australian society sitting idly by and accepting a backwards step for our dairy herds.
Climate farmers welcome Paris Agreement, call for more action from Australian Government
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-14/climate-farmers-welcome-paris-agreement/7026404
I've never understood the opposition to CC from certain sections of the community seeing as it has detrimental effects on agribusiness.