In the 1930’s the genius ideology that is Stalinism embarked upon the collectivisation of farms in the Soviet Union. What this meant was that the Government took control of the farms by seizing the land, equipment, livestock and dwellings. Farmers were given the opportunity to stay as an employee, and those that that resisted the seizure of their farms, by physical defiance, or even by simply writing a letter of protest to the Government, were murdered, or bundled up and sent to Serbia where death was a welcome reprieve from their suffering.
Of course, no Government can farm as well as a farmer can. The collectivisation program led to several famines and the death of something like ten million (10,000,000) people within just a couple of decades. Even as late as the 1980’s Soviet farmers struggled to achieve the production levels of competing neighbouring countries. In fact, a March 1975 report found that 27% of Soviet agricultural produce was produced by private farms, despite the fact that they only consisted of less than 1% of arable land.
Following WWII, Mao Zedong thought he’d have a crack at collectivisation in China. Fortunately for Mao and the Chinese farmers, this was largely achieved without Stalin’s trademark bloodshed. Production in stock and crops declined significantly, and the country was unable to feed itself following any adverse years of drought and/or floods and typhoons. This saw an estimated thirty million (30,000,000) people die from starvation and related disease.
Similar stories of disaster to various degrees exist in the history books of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Poland to name just a few.
People tend to forget that a farmer is the best farmer. There seems to be a narrative gathering strength at the moment claiming that farmers are plundering the environment, growing fat and wealthy while their animals suffer abject cruelty, and their land is slowly being turned into a desolate dust-bowl. Here’s the truth: a farmer looks after the land and their animals - their very survival, yet alone flourishing, depends on it.
So, here we are in 2020, almost 100 years after the Government farming experiment commenced, and thirty years after the Soviet example spectacularly collapsed, governments in ‘western' free countries are looking down their collective noses at the few that feed and clothe the rest of us.. At the behest of the United Nations, World Economic Forum and countless climate activists, farmers are again being targeted by government agencies that think that they know better.
Around 25 years ago, the Australian (Howard) Government first dipped it's toes into the choppy waters of international appeasement. At the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the Howard Government wanted to be seen as taking an active step in carbon emissions reduction. Being who they were, however, and unlike successive governments, they didn't want any decision to adversely affect manufacturing and heavy industry in Australia. Their cunning plan was to dramatically reduce land clearing, thus giving the appearance of reducing carbon emissions. The theory was by retaining enough trees, we wouldn't have to do any actual emissions reduction.
While this move was applauded at the time, what it did in fact do was place the burden of international compliance upon the shoulders of a select group of farmers in North West NSW and Southern Queensland. Their land was locked up and rapidly became unproductive. For this, the farmers never received any compensation for the loss of income or production. Remember, this is PRIVATELY OWNED farming land, where the owners of this land are not permitted to improve their land in any way. This includes broadacre chemical application for the control of weeds and unsuitable regrowth. So farmers are not only unable to use their own land in the most productive way, they are also unable to maintain the land in such a way that promotes positive land health. The result is, of course, a mass invasion of plant species that renders the land unsuitable for grazing or cropping, with the low-level woody weeds providing a habitat for feral and destructive species such as pigs, goats and wild dogs. A landscape that contributes little to biodiversity and captures minimal carbon.
It has been reported that in the worst areas, the financial return on the farming land is around 10% of it's previous productivity. So not only is the "Kyoto Protocol" laws causing a loss of productivity, income and financial growth, it is proving to be detrimental to the environment.
Fast forward to today. Just a couple of years ago in 2019, the Sri Lanka Government took a long deep swig of the Kool-Aid and embraced the Net Zero folly. The Sri Lankian Government stopped building a coal-fired power station and mandated organic farming. This suite of initiatives was roundly applauded by European countries and the UN alike, declaring Sri Lanka to be among the world’s leaders in tackling climate change. Of course, Sri Lanka’s yields fell by more than 20% and their energy prices sky-rocketed (who could see that coming?). Convinced that Nitrogen is the element of evil, the Sri Lanian government’s aim was to cut the use of all artificial fertilisers and cut all nitrogen waste by 50% by 2030. The result was an uprising of farmers and citizens which saw the storming of the parliament, and the subsequent overthrow of the government itself.
Taking interest in this is the Dutch farmers. The Netherlands is the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural products, and Europe’s largest producer of meat. The Dutch farming community has been systematically protesting government-imposed measures that are crippling production and profit. The government has a target of a 55-60%cut in emissions by 2030, 70% by 2035, and 80% by 2040. To meet these arbitrary climate targets, they have created a self-inflicted disaster, the result of which will be a reduction of calories available to the world, especially those countries that have trouble feeding themselves.
Seeing the resistance to the new laws, which has been displayed by numerous and massive protests where farmers have taken to the highways in their tractors, slowing the movements around the nation to a crawl.
The government then offered to buy up to 3000 farms which would be closed and the area left to it’s own devices (similar to what the NSW/Qld farmers have faced). When the offer wasn’t taken up by the farming community, the Dutch Government decided that compulsory acquisition was the way to please the UN climate gods. As a result, 3,000 farmers who have been feeding themselves, Europe and the world for hundreds of years face an uncertain future and eviction from their farms that have been family owned for generations. The Dutch government has learned nothing from Mao and Stalin.
Northern Ireland are passing a law that will allow government bureaucrats to enter any private farm, and destroy stock that is over and above their determined limit. They are prepared to raid your farm and destroy your stock on the altar of Global Warming. Think about that for a minute or two.
But, that sort of thing couldn't happen here, right? I put it to you, if it can happen in New Zealand, it certainly can here!
The Ardern Government is proposing a livestock “Burp Tax” (also referred to as a “Fart Tax”) which, by the Government’s own reckoning, will force an estimated 20% of cattle and sheep farmers, and 5% of dairy farmers out of business. How is this acceptable?
Across the world, farmers are being compelled to de-stock. This can only lead to a decline in food production and a corresponding upward price pressure on meat and dairy prices. Not to mention the destructive forces that this would apply to rural communities and agriculture-supporting businesses.
This is pure madness. The Climate change Carbon dogma is making food, fibre and energy less available and more expensive. The cruel policies being proposed and enforced across the western world are anti-human and inhumane. These policies will affect the world’s poor the most, and it seems our governments and climate activists are happy to sacrifice these lives of ordinary people at the altar of UN compliance.
If this is what Net Zero looks like, then we are headed for a lot of trouble. As the Net Zero religion continues to be pushed, and with the Albanese government also signing up to a reduction of Methane (Cow farts), NOW is the time for all of us to push back against this bloody madness.
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