ANTI live export campaigner and Mundingburra Greens candidate Jenny Brown hijacked an agricultural forum in Townsville last night to spruik her stance on the cattle industry.
About 80 people attended AgForce’s first ‘politics in the pub’ forum to hear political candidates outline their agricultural policies ahead of the upcoming State election.
Invited panelists in attendance included Hinchinbrook MP Andrew Cripps (LNP), Townsville MP Scott Stewart (ALP), Mount Isa MP Robbie Katter (KAP), and Townsville Greens candidate Rebecca Ryan.
But after the panelists had been introduced, Mundingburra Greens candidate Jenny Brown took the microphone to provide a scathing attack on the live export industry, describing it as “the inhumane slaughter of animals for human consumption.”
Ms Brown called for a ban on all live export from Australia, saying more abattoirs should be built instead.
“What we would favor rather than animals spending days on a truck to be transported to the port, is regional processing in areas closer to where they are raised, such as the proposed meatworks for Hughenden,” Ms Brown said.
“That would provide employment in the local region, the truck drivers would still be needed to transport animals there and also to transport the processed product to the port as chilled boxed beef.”
Mr Katter, Mr Cripps and Mr Stewart all pointed out the value of the live export industry in North Queensland.
Weapons licensing, sugar cane marketing, heavy vehicle licensing costs, vegetation management and rural training were also hot topics on the night, with audience members querying policies on the issues.
AgForce General President Grant Maudsley urged attendees to think carefully about which party had the best policies to grow the agricultural industries in North Queensland.
“What I would ask people to really think clearly about is what policy is going to drive the growth in your business,” Mr Maudsley said.
“We're mad keen to grow this state and we can do it but we've almost had enough when it comes to issues of veg management and those sort of issues that keep holding us back.
“We're not asking for some crazy outcome, we want sense as much as anyone so use your power, talk to the people in any electorate around the state and don't accept poor policy otherwise you'll just get the result you've always got.
“You need to think about what you can do to change the outcome of this election to the advantage of agriculture and agriculture in North Queensland.”