When ignorance is not bliss

It’s often said the first casualty of war is the truth.
Unfortunately, the same seems to apply to many of the ‘campaigns’ run by activists and lobby groups against sectors of New Zealand agribusiness.
Think of some of the campaigns that have been promulgated against different parts of the agribusiness sector via the media. Fish and Game’s “Dirty Dairying”; Greenpeace’s anti Palm Kernel imports; sow crates and genetic modification to name just a few.
Massey University science professor Jacqueline Rowarth regularly talks about the ignorance danger of many of these so-called ‘good intentioned’ campaigns. Rowarth, a columnist for a weekly business publication, has firm views on many subjects. But she backs her opinions with facts, evidence and data.
Ironically, many of these so-called activist campaigns against New Zealand’s agribusiness sector are seldom pressed – by a largely sympathetic and often ignorant mainstream media – for any facts, evidence and/or data to back their claims.
Recently, former ACT MP, journalist and latter day media commentator, Deborah Coddington penned an interesting column for a Sunday newspaper, where she opined on the growing danger of the divide between rural and urban New Zealand.
“It's open season on farmers. When they're not destroying the environment, they're torturing animals,” she provocatively began the aforementioned column.
While Coddington was being deliberately derisive with her opening salvo, she did make important and serious points. The nub of which was that most of the good-intentioned, but ultimately ill-informed ‘campaigns’ against our farming and agribusiness sector are often high on emotion, low on facts and ultimately dangerous!
“Ten years ago, it would have been silly for television to show a calf being born with the cow standing up and alleging that's cruelty to calves (cows can deliver standing up or prostrate). Or for a major newspaper to picture beef cattle in a stream and caption them as dairy cows,” Coddington added. “But both these occurrences were unquestioned, because the facts would have ruined stories where reporters were putting the proverbial gumboot into farmers.”
New Zealand agribusiness’s latest lament comes on the back of news that ex-pat, rich-lister Jan Cameron – founder of Kathmandu clothing and camping gear - has donated $2 million to animal activist group SAFE as reward money for farm workers to dob in their bosses.
Cameron’s endowment is being used by SAFE to encourage farm workers to report on their employers to authorities for cruel practices – especially the use of sow crates and caged hens.
While the good folk of Auckland’s Grey Lynn, Wellington’s Kandallah, and their ilk in other cities around the country, will no doubt fervently support this campaign as they sit down to enjoy their free range bacon and eggs brunches at their favourite organic cafes. However, I doubt their not so well-off counterparts in less wealthy parts of the country are so supportive.
A move to ban sow-crates and caged hens in New Zealand – may make the luvvies in the wealthy suburbs feel smug and happy to pay more for pork, ham, bacon, chicken and eggs. However, it’s doubtful the struggling people in the Mangeres, Poriuras and Flaxmeres would be so happy or able to pay more. But these families aren’t likely to be aware of this fact, as the proponents of banning sow crates and caged hens tend to gloss over such information when playing the emotional card.
Animal activists also neglect to inform people that the ‘evil’ pig crates happen to help prevent sows crushing, or even eating, their newly born offspring. Piglets, when born, are very small, so sometimes mum rolls over and splat! While piglets are so small, depending on the sow, it's better to have mama pig in a special pen for a few days where her babies can reach her teats, but she can't squash or eat them!
With these kind of information gaps, between what people are told by vested interest groups and what they should know, is furthering widening the gap between urban and rural New Zealand.
Lincoln University academic and commentator, Caroline Saunders believes the best way to bridge New Zealand’s increasing rural-urban divide is with better communication. She says this would help to improve farming’s image by highlighting positive aspects and – when problems occur – detailing how these are being dealt with.
Saunders makes a salient point. Ignorance is not so bliss, when it starts to threaten this country’s key economic contributor. It is high time New Zealand agribusiness sector got its act together.