IT was inevitable that science would enter the beef protein market.
For the most part, feeding the multitude with synthetic beef is great for mankind.
But it will most likely to be the commercial sections of the beef production industry that will feel the pain in monetary terms as synthetic beef enters the market.
Those commercial producers breeding and filling the lower section of the beef domestic and export markets, supplying lower economic countries, are the most at risk.
It is time that beef producers in Australia looked a little more into the future and started to breed a type of cattle that takes them out of being cast into what every other country is producing, and therefore competing in mass produced beef.
A far more sophisticated beef breeding approach is required if the commercial beef producers want to stay ahead of world beef trends.
The days of breeding beef for the kilograms are about to get a market correction.
Populations buying beef are going to have a choice of what type of beef they purchase and will be looking to what will be the healthiest source for themselves and their family.
The upper factions of breeders producing quality beef will be a little immune from the synthetic beef onslaught.
The better quality beef product will be in a far better position than the commodity product.
Asia is the fastest growing population and they prefer marbled beef. So why are we still producing the plain old saturated protein product, that in the future will have to compete with the healthy aspects of synthetic beef, and other synthetic foods?
The biggest problem in the beef production industry in Australia is that beef breeds are governed by climatic conditions that suit certain types of cattle.
Plus the fact is many older farmers are still in a time lapse of breeding the same type of cattle that family’s forebearers did.
Only the young educated farmers are adapting and changing what they are breeding and moving forward with science and time.
It will be interesting hearing comments from all on this topic of alternative proteins that will affect us all.
It is solutions of how and what we should be doing to combat this new wave of conflict one wants to hear about.
*Beef breeder David Bellamy, Taree, NSW
FORGET HIS PERSONAL LIFE
THE media's preoccupation with Barnaby Joyce's personal life is an unfortunate distraction to his incompetence as the Federal Minister for Primary Industries.
He has failed to show any leadership to bring an end to the alleged water theft by major cotton growers in southern Queensland and northern NSW.
Following Four Corner's allegations of irrigation rorts last year, his responses were inconsistent, seemingly dependent on which part of the western electorate he was addressing at the time.
Overall, he showed little real concern for the smaller farmers, the honest, compliant irrigators, the health of the Murray-Darling system itself and South Australia's water supply.
Within his national portfolio, he could have done so much more to help the difficult multi-state water agreement succeed.
*Sue McLeod, Myocum, NSW.