As a small producer we have reduced our production by about 70,000kg by not replacing breeding stock we sold to meet our financial commitment. Millions of hectares of grazing land are now being taken out of production for agriculture by new environmental and conservation laws that ban the use of fertiliser-improved pastures and crops. This land is now reverting to a haven for feral pigs, goats, rabbits and foxes. Australia is part of the global world. Farmers have to pay high world prices for imported inputs that are no longer made in this country, such as vehicles, petrol, farm machinery and vet erinary products.
Australian beef is still the cheapest and best in the world.
Tom Fearby, Gunnedah, March 31. Stop fingering Hopoate After all the smart-arse wisecracks about Hopoate, I feel sorry for the poor bugger. The NSW criminal code has penalties ranging through cautions, community service, suspended sentences and fines before jail. Morris Graham, Georgetown, April 1. Adrian Eisler, Drummoyne, April 2.