Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Pigs in Whitehall

The BBC informs us that there are pigs in Whitehall today. They must have been reading all these recent stories in the national media about 'snouts in troughs', and thought it might be a nice day out. In fact, there is a real problem here - and its one that I flagged up at the RSPB fringe meeting at Llandudno last weekend.

Its the law of unintended consequences at work again. We are all concerned about climate change - so we are all keen on renewable energy - so we all approve of bio crops, which is already happening in a massive way in the US. As well as the negative impact that monoculture has on biodiversity, grain prices have inevitably disappeared into the sky, which has elimined profitability in UK pig farming - so British pig farmers will go out of business - so there will be more imports - which will have a bigger impact on climate change. A truly unvirtuous circle.

This is understandable very upsetting for British pig farmers, particularly since imported pig meat has often not been produced according to the same welfare standards as is required in the UK. Anyway, hundreds of them are outside the Houses of Parliament today and their cause is being taken up by Richard Bacon, MP. (Honestly) I hope that Winnie the Pig enjoys her trip. Perhaps she will put her name forwards for election if she likes it there. After all, A monkey was elected Mayor somewhere in the North of England a few years ago.

9 comments:

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Frankly, it just goes to show that the global climate fascists are idiots. Now we have soaring grain prices and poor people around the world going hungry because they can't afford to pay the higher costs of food. An inkling of what was to come came when corn prices climbed some time ago and the working poor in Mexico complained that they were having to pay much higher prices for corn because corn was being used to make ethanol.

Can you imagine the crass stupidity of switching farms that provide our food into farms that provide feed stock to ethanol/biofuel production plants? It is/was INSANITY.

The consequences of global climate fascists is clear to see, yes there will be millions dying - of starvation, not brought about by global warming (which anyway is a zillion times better than experiencing an ice age), but by the crass stupidity of the fascists global warming idiots.

More humans will suffer as a result of the global fascists pushing for biofuels than from a Chernobyl type nuclear disaster.

It is sheer folly to use farming land to provide feedstock for biofuel production. SHEER FOLLY.

But does the new class of fascists listen? NOPE. They are so stuck up their own backsides they can't differentiate between common sense and CRASS STUPID EXTREME STUPIDITY.

But that's what you get when you introduce extremist fascist ideology into food production. The working poor around the globe are now suffering from their crassly stupid new breed of fascism.

Frankly, it is disgusting that our governments gave in to their extremist fascist ideology. Now the working poor are the victims.

Unknown said...

A view from Rural Westminster

Glyn Davies said...

Christopher - The problem is that while biofuels are a sensible idea if 'surplus' land is used, it will have all sorts of unforseen consequences. I did tell the fringe meeting that support for agri-environment would dissappear overnight if there were to be a shortage of food. And another problem is that when a power station is built that depends on biocrops, it is not so easy to reverse policy. Thsi debate is only just beginning.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

I agree Glyn, surplus land is fine for biofuels, but as you know that is not what is happening. Over here in the USA millions of acres of food producing land is being turned over to providing feedstock for ethanol production. The gimps promoting this have not put 2 and 2 together. There is no way, no how that fields used for human/animal feed production should support industrial ethanol production. Wheat, corn ... you name it will shoot up in price and it is the working poor who will be priced out of the market. Meat prices will follow suit since cattle feed is tied into crop prices which in turn are now tied into oil prices. This must be close to the dumbest thing ever ... and comes "to you" c/o the fascist global warming fraternity.

Millions are going to go short on food for their families, children and babies, it is outrageously stupid. There is a biotech/microbiological solution to this issue, SCP (single cell protein), but while the technology exists, the political will is not there to spread the technology - ICI had a very bad experience with SCP (used chemical engineers to design the fermentation air bubble tower who did not understand "bugs") and poor hungry people did not have the money to pay for the product. ICI shut the plant down (the carbon source for the microbes was methane gas from the North Sea).

There is another solution too, technology to harness cellulose - its a difficult biomaterial to break down, the technology is coming, we should wait on that technology ahead of switching farming land from human/animal feed production to ethanol plant feedstock.

Btw, did you read "that letter" in the WM or Echo this morning? Concerned the water saturated earth beneath properties in Grangetown/South Cardiff - if that recent UK earthquake had centered on Cardiff would south Cardiff turn into a soup?

Recall: that MO here in the USA had an earthquake that turned land into quick sand and caused enormous problems - 'they say' if one hits St. Louis (and 'they say' one is due) then much of St. Louis red brick buildings will be shaken to bits.

The bay barrage might have set south Cardiff up for a St. Louis/MO 'soup'.

'Just a thought, not a sermon.'

Anonymous said...

Me thinks the good doctor is upset, but he's right.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

Addendum ... and while this "debate is only beginning" we have working poor going without nutritious foods because corn and wheat prices have sky rocketed c/o the fascist global warming freak brigade.

Wheat and corn exporting countries such as the USA are cutting back on exports and the working poor will not be doing "OK mate" - far from it. Working poor in Mexico have been clobbered already by high corn prices, US food prices are skyrocketing - I'm sure the same thing is happening in the UK given the strong correlation between agri-commodity prices around the globe. This 'baby' is going to get bigger and bigger and will lead to MEGA deaths unless governments listen less to the new global warming fascists and take immediate steps to stop food acreages being turned over to ethanol feedstock. Please excuse typos ... got "work on" at the "coal face of IP", but over here, not "over there".

Glyn Davies said...

What have I started?

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

... I don't know. But to the extent I seem upset it is only because I can't stand seeing the vulnerable put upon by unthinking total drivel idiots who have no idea what they are talking about but manage to fool or worry the governments of the day into doing the daftest things in the name of saving the planet (which I think we established some posts back in a different thread is under no threat from man whatsoever), so the global warming fascists talk about the threat to mankind, but they speak with empty cistern and forked tongue because by their inept selfish politically motivated bullying of governments they have undermined the working poor - their ability to buy basic foodstuffs like wheat and corn based products.

The working poor in Mexico are now suffering and soon the working poor in the USA will be suffering and non-cereal farmers will be going bust "all (not) because the lady loves Milk tray". These poor folks are going to go hungry, their babies will be short on nutrition, and their seniors will end up giving up their food to save the young. It's turning into a MEGA disaster.

Meanwhile the fascists can sit back and eat boxes of chocolates mesmerized by how 'successful' they have been in conning the governments of the day to render ethanol production the best thing since sliced bread.

And masses of working poor will forgo basic food stuffs.

Dr. Christopher Wood said...

And on “Q” today’s Times newspaper is running a front story ‘news’ story, “Rush for biofuels threatens starvation on a global scale”; Times March 7, 2008.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3500954.ece