Page 14 - National Poultry Newspaper

Farmers fight back in face of radical anti-farm group intimidation
AUSTRALIAN farm- ing families are under siege from a malicious social media cam- paign run by an ex- treme anti-farm group.
According to its web- site, Aussie Farms’ ‘core value’ is a belief that animals should not be owned for human purposes.
The Facebook page links to a map with the details of hundreds of farmers implying a connection to animal cruelty and urging peo- ple to gather images, videos and other docu- ments in relation to the addresses revealed.
National Farmers’ Federation president Fiona Simson said the implications could be dire and has demand- ed Facebook close the page promoting the map immediately and for the group to be stripped of its charity status.
“Farmers’ privacy, their right to farm and most disturbingly, their safety and that of their families and animals, are at risk,” Ms Simson said.
“Australian farmers have had enough and we will not stand by and watch attempts to destroy farms, families and rural communi- ties.”
Ms Simson said the NFF had fielded calls from farmers who had been included on the
map, in some instances who were represented as running businesses that in fact, they do not.
“They are rightly dis- tressed that their name has incorrectly been linked to ‘animal cru- elty’,” Ms Simson said.
“They are extremely anxious and very angry that their workplace, and their home, has become the target of extreme and dangerous activities.”
Aussie Farms, unbe- lievably, a registered charity, has been linked to a number of trespass incidents, including an incident in December where 55 protesters forced their way into an abattoir in Nhill, Victoria.
“Their agenda is simple and straight- forward: they want to see an end to farms, and that means an end to many farmers and the contribution they make,” Ms Simson said.
The map comes only days after the ‘dark arts’ of Animals Aus- tralia were revealed with allegations the group paid ship work- ers to capture footage aboard live export ves- sels.
“Almost every day, we’re seeing examples of activists accessing farms and businesses without permission, seeking to disrupt the work our farmers do,”
Ms Simson said. “These types of stunts
risk human and animal wellbeing and are deep- ly offensive.
“The presence of unapproved people in farm environments has the potential to spread bacteria and disease, which could impact the whole food chain, not to mention the trade implications.
“It’s also important to remember that farms are also family homes.”
Ms Simson said the NFF had called on Face- book to take the page down immediately.
The charitable status of the group must be retracted by the Aus- tralian Charities and Not-for-Profits Com- mission.
Their business model is to openly flout Aus- tralia’s laws to under- mine farming and agri- culture in Australia.
“We have spoken with both the Minister and Shadow Minister for Agriculture, who have condemned the group’s behaviours and objec- tives,” Ms Simson said.
“I will also write to the police in each state and territory, alerting them to the ‘library’ of imagery on the Aussie Farms website, ques- tioning how the materi- al was collected.”
Ms Simson said the NFF is seeking legal counsel on the implied link the map makes to the farmers represented and animal cruelty; and regarding any potential infringement of privacy and trespass laws.
“As a matter of prior- ity, we will be advocat- ing for laws that guar- antee farmers’ freedom to farm,” she said.
“Laws that carry harsh penalties for those who seek to im- pede this freedom.”
Remote control jetting
IN drought conditions, trees seek moisture from drains and sewer lines.
The roots cause block- ages in sometimes diffi- cult to access locations.
The new Aussie Viper mini reel is a lightweight, portable reel with control lever and 60m of sewer- cleaning hose.
It is designed for use with any high-pressure water blaster or sewer- cleaning jetter up to 5000psi.
Aussie Pumps product manager Mal Patel said, “Most poultry indus- tries have a decent pres- sure cleaner for general cleaning.”
“This portable reel enables the blaster to be used to unblock drains effectively too.”
The Viper consists of a 5000psi-rated hose reel with stainless steel
swivel mounted in a ro- bust stainless steel carry frame to make it port- able.
An integrated con- trol lever and on-board pressure gauge mean the operator has remote control of the jetter or pressure cleaner.
The reel carries 60m of 3/16” 5000psi-rated high-pressure flexible sewer-cleaning hose.
It can be equipped with a wide range of drain-cleaning nozzles including the Aussie Turbo Root Mulcher.
The Mulcher is de- signed to chop its way through tree roots in re- cord times.
“Drain cleaning has undergone a revolution, with plumbers opting for Aussie Pumps high- pressure jetters because of their efficiently and ease of use,” Patel said.
“The Aussie Viper mini reel makes it con- venient for a pressure cleaner to be used in the same way.”
The Mini Reel also has connectors to hold up to three drain-cleaning nozzles so the operator
can select the right noz- zle for the job.
Further information is available from Aus- sie Pumps or through authorised plumbing supply shops throughout Australia and the South Pacific.
Frederico Milani showed off the portable Aussie Viper Mini Reel that gives him control while clean- ing drains remotely.
SKOV training seminar on Gold Coast
A GROUP of very com- mitted poultry farm managers and contract growers from all over Australia converged on the Gold Coast in
late-2018 for a SKOV product training semi- nar hosted by FarmMark Livestock Solutions.
Those in attendance found the Gold Coast to
be an ideal meeting loca- tion and were very inter- ested in looking further into SKOV ventilation products and FarmMark poultry systems.
A number of breeder managers upgraded from 7” to 10” SKOV DOL 539 climate and production controllers, while industry powerhouse Ingham’s was interested in getting Farm- Online on all its farms, as the company finds it a very useful tool.
Egg counters were also of great interest to the breeder component of attendees including Ing- ham’s once again.
Those broiler producers in attendance were highly impressed with SKOV equipment and the service provided by FarmMark.
A large number of pro- ducers were looking into upgrading to the 10” DOL 539 controller, with sig- nificant orders expected.
FarmOnline also generat- ed plenty of questions from broiler farmers and many realised they would be able to benefit from implement- ing the system on farm.
For any more informa- tion on SKOV and Farm- Mark products and servic- es, visit farmmark.com.au or call 07 3274 6372.
Page 14 – National Poultry Newspaper, February 2019
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