Chantelle asks the question "Local Versus Imported Food - just what does it mean to Australia?

1. Chantelle Rushton
Caroline Chisholm College

2. Hi there!
My name is Chantelle.
I am a student in Year 10 I live in Western
studying Agriculture. Sydney – an urban
I chose Agriculture as an area fringed by farms
elective because I was growing fresh food for
interested in food production the people of Sydney
and natural resource
management
Agriculture is important to
my region, but it is under
growing pressure from
urban development and
competition from cheaper
imported foods

3. I was lucky to be part of The Archibull Project at my School, where we use ART to
communicate TECHNICAL concepts about issues affecting Agriculture in my region by
painting on fibreglass calf “canvases”.
Through ARCHIBULL I was able to draw from my experience and put my ideas and
thoughts together and discover what local versus imported food means to Australia !
I represent
CONNECTED
farming and
SUSTAINABLE
Resource
management!

4. Here’s my
Question…
By Chantelle Rushton
Caroline Chisholm College,
Glenmore Park, NSW

5. REASONS FOR
IMPORTING FOOD:
A BIGGER VARIETY OF
PRODUCTS and it sometimes
COSTS LESS COMPARED TO
BUYING LOCAL PRODUCTS!

7. SUPPORTING
LOCAL FARMERS
means JOBS and
FRESH FOOD!
PRESERVING
RURAL
FARMLAND AND
PREVENTING
URBAN SPRAWL !
It’s also important
to have wide open
spaces and
CONNECT with the
natural world!

8. Apart from minimizing air
pollution and greenhouse gas
emissions when transporting
goods from the crop to the
table…
…FOOD TASTES
BETTER AS IT HASN’T
HAD TO TRAVEL AS
MANY “FOOD MILES”
AND SUPPORTING LOCAL
FARMERS MEANS
SUPPORTING
THE WHOLE
ECONOMY!

9. WHAT ARE FOOD MILES?
“Food miles” means the
distance that food has
travelled from the time of its
production…
… to the time it reaches the
consumer.

10. POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION from
unknown farming & storage practices…
…and a LOSS OF NUTRITIONAL
VALUE of fruit and vegetables
Ref:http://www.abare.gov.au/publications_html/crops/crops_09/foodmiles.pdf

11. LET’S FACE IT, BY
IMPORTING FOOD WE
ARE NOT
SUPPORTING LOCAL
FARMERS OR OUR
ECONOMY !
We could have just
as much choice of
product with
better investment
in local
enterprises!

12. FOR FOOD ALLOWED TO BE PASSED INTO THE COUNTRY IT HAS
TO PASS STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS SET BY THE
IMPORTED FOOD CONTROL ACT 1992
WITHOUT THESE STANDARDS AND
REQUIREMENTS WE COULD BE
BRINGING IN SERIOUS HEALTH
RISKS OR HAZARDS TO OUR
COMMUNITIES AND
ENVIRONMENT.
Ref:http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/food

13. And there’s the concept
of “CARBON EMISSIONS”
The NSW Government has
Advertisements showing
Carbon emissions as black
balloons coming out of the
machines we use that use
up energy from fossil fuels…
…Agriculture has been shown
to release lots of such
GREENHOUSE GASES

14. CARBON EMISSIONS http://www.globalwarmingisreal.com/2009/
02/11/carbon-debt-explained/
CAN COME FROM Carbon Balloon Ad (Your Carbon
DECAYING PLANTS AND Contribution)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLDPE
SOIL Qzlck
BUT IT COULD BE
CO2 ENTERS DECADES
PLANTS THROUGH BEFORE the DEBT
PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS REPAID.
WHEN WE USE CORN
AS PLANTS GROW ETHANOL AS PETROL
they STORE CARBON WE REPAY THE DEBT
IN ROOTS as ‘CARBON CREDIT’
CARBON STORED AS
WHEN PLANTS ORGANIC MATERIAL IS
DECOMPOSE the CARBON RELEASED INTO
REMAINS in a ‘CARBON AMTOSPHERE AS CO2 ,
BANK’ in soil the ‘CARBON DEBT’

15. Conflict between water
users – URBAN versus
RURAL versus
RECREATIONAL …Can
the SAME policy be used
for all areas? If there is
INCREASED
The fact is there are PRICING FOR
DIFFERENT WATER IRRIGATION,
SUPPLY AND COSTS then there is
depending on the NO PROFIT FOR
different areas and uses! FARMERS !

17. ONE SOLUTION
COMES FROM A
MOVEMENT CALLED
GOOD, CLEAN, FAIR FOOD
Which means consumers take the time to find out about
local produce, buy it, and use it to prepare home-cooked
meals (instead of fast-food)
Ref: http://www.slowfoodaustralia.com.au

18. PROMOTING
wholesome FOOD WORKING TOGETHER
TO MARKET locally
produced FOOD
WORKING WITH SCHOOL
COMMUNITIES TO MAKE
KITCHEN GARDENS.

19. Another solution comes by STRENGTHENING
AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL STANDARDS
Develop food
standards to ensure
industry and trade
interests are
considered !
CONSUMERS can
TRUST that Australian
Products are the best
on the market!
Ref: http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/food/ifsi

21. http://www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Website/Woolworths/Community/04Sustainability/#SustainableSupermarkets
•Low flow taps for all sinks
and taps
•Having calico bags instead
of plastic bags
Big companies are designing SOLUTIONS and
INTIATIVES to MAKE FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE

22. So, what does
“Australian grown
and produced”
mean to
Australians?

23. Buying Australian Grown is good for all Australians. It creates jobs, boosts
the economy and improves our standard of living.
Buying Australian Grown also means getting fresh produce that has been
grown and processed to high Australian standards.
The Australian Grown brand is an easy way for consumers to identify
produce that is Australian.
The famous green and gold logo is a guarantee that
the product carrying the logo is Australian.
Only products which meet the criteria set out in
the Australian Made, Australian Grown
Code of Practice can qualify to carry the logo.
Research released by Roy Morgan (2006 -2010) clearly shows that
Australian consumers want to buy Australian and that more than two
thirds consciously do so whenever possible.
[ http://www.australianmade.com.au/research ]

24. So Australian Farmers
should actively promote
their produce as being
locally grown…the
consumers want to know
about it …let’s make it
easier for people to show
how much they value
“HOME-GROWN” products
by supporting local
farmers!

25. Thanks to all the
teachers,
students, farmers,
and promoters of
Agriculture in
Australia…you
enrich all of us
with food, fibre
and shelter!

26. WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE SPONSORS OF THE
2010 CREAM OF THE CROP COMPETITION
PLATINUM GOLD SILVER
BRONZE