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Bishop urges boycott of ‘sinful’ Brazilian beef
-08/02/06
A bishop in Wales is urging a boycott of ‘sinful’ Brazilian beef.
The Bishop of St Davids, Carl Cooper who is passionate about international fair trade says that beef imports
benefit the rich and disadvantage the poor, with much of the beef sold in British pubs, hospitals, schools and offices produced by cheap labour, reports Steve Dube of the Western Mail.
“The social conditions of beef ranches in Brazil are appalling” the bishop said.
“Hundreds of thousands of labourers are brought in to cut down the rainforest with rough tools. These people are unpaid, bullied, brutalised and sometimes killed.”
He said the UK was the fourth largest importer of beef from Brazil, which was now fighting its fourth outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease since 2000.
In contrast, Welsh meat could be traced from farm gate to dinner plate.
“Why buy meat from untraceable sources and produced under conditions which are nothing short of sinful?” he asked.
“To do so knowingly is to collaborate in sin. The message is simple – don’t buy it, don’t eat it and encourage others to do the same!”
A bishop also warned that the dairy industry in Wales may become extinct.
Bishop Cooper called for urgent action for changes in farming, and warned that more and more rules and regulations were demoralising farmers and crippling the industry.
Recent surveys show morale in the agricultural industry at an all-time low – as low as when the foot-and-mouth epidemic struck in 2001.
TB in cattle was a huge threat and many holdings were on stop, unable to sell their cattle through the live market. That meant more stock on the farm in need of winter fodder. Meanwhile many cattle culled as TB suspects were later discovered to be healthy.
Bishop Cooper continued, “Is it any surprise that the dairy industry is dying when a farmer gets approximately 16p for a litre of milk, and yet when I go to the supermarket to buy a litre I pay 62p?
“The current price of a Holstein bull calf in Carmarthen mart is £1 and yet you cannot buy an ear tag for that animal for less than £4.”
The bishop said the dairy farmers that remained were rapidly becoming “a rare breed”.
But, he said, the Church in Wales was committed to serving the rural communities to the best of its ability.
“At a time when we hear of the closures of post offices and schools in rural Wales, I am pleased to say that the church does not have a programme of closure. We will stand up for the rural people of Wales and I want to see a profitable agricultural industry in the future.”
Bishop Cooper’s comments came during a speech at NFU Cymru’s Carmarthenshire county conference.
Related Searches(UK visitors only)
Fair Trade
Bishop of St Davids
Brazilian Beef
Organic Products
Bishop urges boycott of ‘sinful’ Brazilian beef
-08/02/06
A bishop in Wales is urging a boycott of ‘sinful’ Brazilian beef.
The Bishop of St Davids, Carl Cooper who is passionate about international fair trade says that beef imports
benefit the rich and disadvantage the poor, with much of the beef sold in British pubs, hospitals, schools and offices produced by cheap labour, reports Steve Dube of the Western Mail.
“The social conditions of beef ranches in Brazil are appalling” the bishop said.
“Hundreds of thousands of labourers are brought in to cut down the rainforest with rough tools. These people are unpaid, bullied, brutalised and sometimes killed.”
He said the UK was the fourth largest importer of beef from Brazil, which was now fighting its fourth outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease since 2000.
In contrast, Welsh meat could be traced from farm gate to dinner plate.
“Why buy meat from untraceable sources and produced under conditions which are nothing short of sinful?” he asked.
“To do so knowingly is to collaborate in sin. The message is simple – don’t buy it, don’t eat it and encourage others to do the same!”
A bishop also warned that the dairy industry in Wales may become extinct.
Bishop Cooper called for urgent action for changes in farming, and warned that more and more rules and regulations were demoralising farmers and crippling the industry.
Recent surveys show morale in the agricultural industry at an all-time low – as low as when the foot-and-mouth epidemic struck in 2001.
TB in cattle was a huge threat and many holdings were on stop, unable to sell their cattle through the live market. That meant more stock on the farm in need of winter fodder. Meanwhile many cattle culled as TB suspects were later discovered to be healthy.
Bishop Cooper continued, “Is it any surprise that the dairy industry is dying when a farmer gets approximately 16p for a litre of milk, and yet when I go to the supermarket to buy a litre I pay 62p?
“The current price of a Holstein bull calf in Carmarthen mart is £1 and yet you cannot buy an ear tag for that animal for less than £4.”
The bishop said the dairy farmers that remained were rapidly becoming “a rare breed”.
But, he said, the Church in Wales was committed to serving the rural communities to the best of its ability.
“At a time when we hear of the closures of post offices and schools in rural Wales, I am pleased to say that the church does not have a programme of closure. We will stand up for the rural people of Wales and I want to see a profitable agricultural industry in the future.”
Bishop Cooper’s comments came during a speech at NFU Cymru’s Carmarthenshire county conference.