Re: Australia Can't Even Export Gouldian Food
Posted: 28 Feb 2011, 10:46
There is a world of difference between yellow cake and finch cake. I'm not adding in my carbon credits yet but for the moment exporting a concentrated food supplement like the Fidler Soft-Food which puts money directly into the Save the Gouldian Fund appears to make good sense. I'm sure Bill will continue to support their work but the cost will come in the form an unfavourable balance of trade, loss of Australian jobs and loss of revenue for the Aussies that run Birds R Us and who supply to OUR urban population. These people can't put down and acre of grass or don't have access to a research farm like myself to go harvest green seed 2-3 times a week. I recommend everyone to grow there own seed as a supplement if the can but I still wouldn't say stop with the Belgian vitamins or the proprietary soft foods if they work for you. I’d bet there’s exactly zero finch keepers that grow and supply all of their seed and other inputs. None of us live on an entirely closed ecosystem. Look at Alice Springs and ask: what is the human carrying capacity of the place without imports from Woolworths and the like? Probably not even the local the Aborigines now know the answer but historical records will show it’s no more than a few hundred spread over thousands of hectares. They lived in desert park without tourists but the quality of life they endured is something none, including their descendants would go back to.