Hobby Habit - Editorial

The Age (Epicure) has a habit of focusing on what could be seen as hobby farming, I admit a very good way to engage a reader in the love affair with food. BUT - It skews the reality of what the average Australian farmer produces and the way they go about their toil!

An example of what is totally unrealistic and frankly a little bit hypocritical in my opinion is the pig farmer who is happy enough to slaughter her pigs but won't sell them to just anyone based merely on the way that person is potentially going to prepare her beloved produce! WHAT is this person farming pigs for if not to be slaughtered and eaten? Farmers all over the country deal with these issues everyday and have to learn to live with it - I think a broader view of primary producers is required by the media in general. It may not be the most intriguing cover story, but certainly truthful which is important particularly in the meat industry.

"...pigs she raises for meat are never given names. "That would be too much," she says. "But when I send them off (to be slaughtered) I thank them that they are helping us all survive."
Like Andrew Wood, Behrendt came to farming later in life. She was born in Kew and grew up in Glen Waverley. "There's something that draws you to the land. You can't describe it but it's a powerful feeling that you can't deny," she says. "And next thing you know you're a pig farmer!"
Behrendt's respect for her pigs continues long after they have oinked their last oink. She has been known to refuse to sell her pork to people she doesn't think meet her criteria.
"Some people come to my market stall and throw the meat around," she says. "I refuse to sell it to them. Others tell me how they are going to cook a certain cut and I just know they are going to stuff it up so I don't let them have it. I raised those pigs. I knew them. I am never going to see their flesh abused in my market stall or in the kitchen when someone cooks the crap out of it. I can do everything right on my farm but it only takes a few minutes from a crap cook to ruin the meat from my pigs."... Read the full article, follow the link below.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/09/07/1252201176498.html

What's Glen Waverly like? Does it meet your criteria?

Giles