Post by Banker on May 8, 2013 7:06:13 GMT 7
Turn surplus cattle into stew for pensioners: Katter
Federal MP Bob Katter says making more tinned beef stew could help ease the cattle glut in northern Australia.
Hundreds of cattle producers are expected at a crisis summit in Richmond in Queensland's north-west today to discuss debt, drought and the ongoing fall-out from the suspension of live exports to Indonesia.
Mr Katter, the Member for Kennedy, says he is seeking government funding to build several meatworks with canneries attached, to help struggling graziers deal with excess stock, and to provide affordable, tinned beef stew for pensioners.
"The nutritional value of their [the pensioners] food that they can afford now is perilously low and in fact endangers their health and this would be a marvellous thing to do for Australia's retirees," he said.
"We have old cracker cows that are really very good protein but they just die at the present moment."
He says he would like supermarkets to stock the canned beef at "only a 10 per cent mark up for retirees."
Etheridge Shire Mayor Will Attwood says the proposal to build canneries next to meatworks to save Australia's beef industry has merit but only as a longer-term solution.
Councillor Attwood says Mr Katter's suggestion of turning excess beef into low-cost tinned stew is worth consideration.
"There's lots of places in the world that just can't handle fresh meat because of a lack of refrigeration, so to use canneries or to put beef into cans is probably an extension of the meatworks and is probably the right way to go," he said.
Mr Katter's call comes after the ABC TVs 7.30 aired footage of Australian cattle being cruelly mistreated in an Egyptian abattoir.
In the footage, which was shot in October, an Australian bull appears to have a broken leg after escaping from the slaughter room into a holding pen.
A worker circles with a knife and repeatedly stabs at the bull, striking at its tendons and face.
Blood can be seen coming from the animal's eye.
The worker is goaded on by a buyer waiting for the bull to be killed.
The whole tortuous process continues for five minutes, until eventually the bull collapses in a pool of its own blood.
Egypt has vowed to investigate the footage, which led to the voluntary suspension of cattle exports and sparked calls for increased supervision of the slaughtering process.
www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-07/katter-calls-for-more-tinned-stew/4673434
As you can see Banjo's mate Bob is going to take care of the Pensioners.
