34
Opinion
FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 14, 2022
Focus on food rather than hysterics Alternative View
Alan Emerson
THE old Chinese curse ‘may you live in interesting times’ is certainly applicable today. We’ve had the protest at Parliament removed and not before time. I fully support the actions of the NZ Police, but don’t believe the problem will go away. We’ve hysteria about climate change, but emissions at source seem largely irrelevant. There’s the Ukraine crisis, which has certainly provided a bandwagon. We had our Minister of Foreign Affairs jumping up and down and condemning Russia, which will achieve little. A bit like a flea-kicking an elephant’s backside. That was followed by sabrerattling from Gerry Brownlee and Christopher Luxon. I found that interesting as National was in power in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea. The silence was deafening. We had President Biden and PM Johnson making lots of noise, but doing little. To quote the Bard, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”.
To be honest, I find little difference from Russia invading Ukraine to the US and UK invading Iraq, not that either event has any justification. It is an absolute tragedy, as wars always are. At worst, we will have a nuclear conflagration. At best, Helen Clark’s hope of a neutral Ukraine not being part of either NATO or the Warsaw Pact will become a reality. What is irritating has been the commentary in the media that has lacked analysis. Ukraine is a huge, wealthy country that was part of the old USSR. Many Russians still live there. Putin wants it back. It is fourth in the world by total value of natural resources. That includes uranium ore, iron ore and coal. It also has massive deposits of titanium, mercury, manganese and shale gas. It has the largest arable land area in Europe, with the ability to feed 600 million people. That’s 15 times more than we can. It is huge in barley, corn, potatoes, rye, honey, wheat, dairy and egg production. Ukraine is also a highly industrialised country that has been courted by the West, which has predictably made Russia nervous. What’s it all mean for New Zealand? For a start, as there’s not a lot of future farming in the middle of a battle zone, there are going to be considerable international food shortages. In addition, with many supply lines
already compromised as a result of covid, the situation will inevitably worsen. And, as we’re already seeing, the price of fuel will increase with the inflationary pressures that will bring. My cynical view is that whether there are shortages or not, the fuel companies will use any excuse to increase their profit margins What is more concerning is the suggestion that China could use the confusion as a distraction and flex its muscles in either the South China Sea or Taiwan. What will NZ do then? Boycott our largest market? Get the Chinese Ambassador in and give him a good ticking off? My strong belief is that NZ should remain totally neutral. We can praise and condemn but not align. The world needs a solid, independent voice and the United Nations and NATO by their actions have shown themselves ineffective. NZ politicians jumping up and down with hysterical condemnation is an absolute waste of time that will achieve precisely nothing. What we need to do is to consider the effects of the Russian invasion and the first consideration needs to be international food supply. Since the invasion global wheat futures have risen almost 70%, that equates to an extra 33 cents on a kilo of flour. A similar scenario will be occurring with sunflower oil, barley, corn,
REASSESS: Alan Emerson believes that instead of “hysterical condemnation” of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the NZ Government should be assessing where it could make that greatest impact to alleviate the pressures of war. potatoes and dairy products. While on one hand that makes agricultural commodities more expensive and profitable, it is going to exacerbate the hunger crisis that currently affects over 800 million people or 10% of the world’s population. Hunger creates dissent. NZ is an efficient, sustainable and ethical food producer. There are opportunities for us to take the lead. That is a better use of political energies than the current unbridled hysteria. It won’t be easy, but we can take a lead. Further, it is a constructive effort against destructive rhetoric. We are better off than most, which puts us in a strong position to take that lead. We are fortunate in having trade agreements which will
survive the current chaos. The recent FTA with the UK is a quality agreement. It’s the first time in 50 years we’ll have free access to that market. We have the RCEP and are working on a trade agreement with the European Union. Finally, we are facing massive challenges with the Ukrainian invasion, the biggest threat to world peace in almost 80 years. We have a proud record as a food producer and our humanitarian record, including peacekeeping, is strong. That’s where we should be concentrating and not getting drawn into the insane politics of the big boys.
Your View Alan Emerson is a semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath.emerson@gmail.com
Worst of times brings out best in people From the Ridge
Steve Wyn-Harris
DON’T you reckon we need something positive this week? Well, I feel the need at least. Putin’s violent invasion of a sovereign nation and murdering of innocents recalls Robbie Burn’s quote about man’s inhumanity to man. This morning’s news was about a maternity hospital bombed killing and trapping women in labour, babies and medical staff. Our own riots fuelled by misinformation, the pandemic finally getting into our communities causing sickness and disruption, terrible images of our Australian neighbours being hammered by flooding, rapidly rising costs and a host of other things to worry about are dragging us all down. But there is great stuff happening out there in the world being done by good people. It’s as if the worst of times brings out the best in people. Let’s start with the wonderful folk of Moldova. I wasn’t sure where it was either,
but I’d heard of it at least. Right next to Ukraine to its south and they have opened their borders to allow 250,000 Ukrainians to freely cross to date. They can barely afford this humanitarian gesture, as the 2.6 million Moldovans are some of the poorest people in Europe. Moldovans are driving their cars to the borders and collecting refugees and taking them to safety. Others are greeting the frightened refugees with food and hot drinks. Moldova is also worried about its own fate in this crisis. They wonder if they might be next. They, like Ukraine, have
a breakaway region, called Transnistria, which is a thin strip of territory between Ukraine and Moldova. Russian troops are already stationed there in what the Russians call a peacekeeping force. Moldova as a post-Soviet state has balanced between East and West but rapidly realising there is no middle ground seeing what is happening over their border. It has quickly applied to join the EU, which might further anger Putin and put them at some risk. Georgia too has immediately applied for EU membership, but it is a process that can take years. Poland has also reacted with
SUPPORT: About 12,000 Russian citizens protesting against the war have been arrested by their government and over 20,000 scientists and other professionals have put their names to petitions speaking out against the war. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
great humanity to this crisis brought on by this unnecessary war. The border there has seen amazing displays of kindness and generosity. I watched a video of an accomplished German pianist who had towed his piano across Poland and was playing at a border crossing, surrounded by intrigued children listening to his surreal soundtrack in that place of refuge. The Poles have opened their arms to 1.2 million fleeing Ukrainians, with many more coming every day. Polish families have donated large quantities of food and clothing, which are laid out for the incoming refugees to help themselves. They are getting the women, children and elderly into buses and ferrying them to centres they have set up to house and feed them. Others are being offered rides from the border by Europeans who have driven across Poland from their own countries to offer these desperate people somewhere to stay. The Polish government has set up a NZ$2.5 billion fund to support these refugees, which includes an initial payment and further healthcare and social assistance, as well as housing and feeding them. An extraordinary generous response to Europe’s largest refugee crisis since WW2.
Then there is the exceptional bravery of the menfolk of Ukraine who are staying to fight the invading Russian army. Knowing they are facing overwhelming odds. Jane asked me what I would do and I had to admit my first thought was I’d hide or run, as I don’t think I have a high courage index. But it would also be exceedingly difficult to take that course of action when everyone else was taking up arms. And let’s not forget the courage and integrity of the Russian citizens in Russia who at significant risk to themselves are protesting against this war. Already 12,000 have been arrested and over 20,000 scientists and other professionals have put their names to petitions speaking out against the war in support of people in another country being murdered by their own. Putin will treat these folk harshly, as one of the contributing factors to the collapse of the Soviet Union were the widows and mothers of dead soldiers protesting against the state. In these times it is good to know that the world is full of people with kindness, empathy, courage and generosity prepared to help fellow humans in terrible plight from another country.
Your View Steve Wyn-Harris is a Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer. swyn@xtra.co.nz
