The Morris View

摘要

Choice is a fundamental principle of a free society and one of the foundation stones of any buoyant and successful economy. The fact that I find myself writing about choice, or the lack of it in respect of our industry clearly demonstrates how seriousthe situation has been for any sheep farmer trying to market sheep meat over the past few months. Choice in the marketplace is fast becoming a thing of the past for the whole livestock sector. It is not many years since there was a good coverage of livestock markets and abattoirs across the length and breadth of the land, offering choice to all vendors of finished animals. This meant stock travelled less distance to be sold and farmers were able to be more actively involved in the marketing of their animals - simply due to a closer proximity to the point of sale. To some it may appear that I am seeing the past through rose coloured spectacles and wallowing in unrealistic nostalgia but it is not that many years ago and it is a fact worth remembering.