Coles Supermarkets now Supports Animals Australia - Forgets Farmers

Supermarket dominance is probably not a good thing.

But when your major marketplace decides to support the opposition, by becoming a supporter for a major group that  advocates against livestock slaughter would you as a grower and producer of livestock continue to sell them produce, that is, your livestock?

This is effectively what Coles [ one of two dominant supermarket chains] has done in Australia this week by selling shopping bags labelled with Animals Australia signage, effectively supporting the pressure group.  Remember this is the group that has been opposed to live cattle export, and supports no livestock use for human consumption and was the prime agency in providing film footage that shut down the live export trade in 2011.

It is being dressed up as Coles supporting "ëthical" treatment and slaughter of stock.  But many see it as Coles outright support of phasing out livestock use.

Some farmers are now boycotting Coles, farmers who have been previously selling stock direct to Coles for sale in their meat section of the supermarket.

Woolworths is very quiet......no doubt hoping that Coles will deliver a signifcant gunshot wound to their own foot.  Many think that Coles have definitely fully put their feet in their mouth.

The material online is amazing on this subject - see http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/agribusiness/general-news/coles-fundraising-plan-bagged/2659322.aspx?storypage=0 

While the article is rational, do not forget to read the comments.  Many of those are not.  About 8-10 pages when I last checked- probably more than almost anything else over the past year or so.

The Australian farm community is up in arms over this issue.  Much of Coles marketing claims relating to meat products over the past several years, since the UK mafia.....sorry management arrived, has been mostly window dressing, or should that be spin, delivered to an ill informed public.

Will they now embrace grass fed livestock, a current marketing push by industry, as there are strong claims that grass fed stock are better flavoured, and could deliver a better return to growers, and would Coles pay more as beef buyers?  That might deliver some small, but real gains in cents per kg of carcass, to producers.


Update - midnight 4 June  It seems that the MD and chairman of Wesfarmers may be getting involved, they were not happy!! - this small bit of info was on the radio news.