Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

Fair food for all Australians

Joel Salatin at Jonai Farms Event Recap and Next Steps

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Words by Tammi Jonas

Photos by Linsey Rendell

Photo by Linsey Rendell
Joel Salatin (Photo by Linsey Rendell)

 

Over 450 people gathered at Jonai Farms & Meatsmiths in the central highlands of Victoria to hear the high priest of the pasture Joel Salatin (Polyface Farm) wax evangelical about the bizarre world we live in where a local, small-scale family farm is considered ‘risky’ while big industrialised food production hidden from the public eye carries on uninhibited by a perverse regulatory system.

 

crowd

Tammi and Costa (Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Tammi and Costa (Photo by Linsey Rendell)

 

Joel was joined by Australia’s beloved promoter of all things fair food Costa Georgiadis (ABC Gardening Australia), and a range of farmers who’ve been affected by unfair and scale-inappropriate regulation and planning schemes. Chair of Fair Food Farmers United Tammi Jonas (Jonai Farms) and her husband Stuart showed the crowds what farming can look like when it’s done with maximum concern for animals, ecology, farmers and eaters. AFSA President Sally Ruljancich called for a new ‘narrative of normalcy’ around small-scale regenerative farming.

 

Stuart Jonas (Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Stuart Jonas (Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Sally Ruljancich (Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Sally Ruljancich (Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Tammi Jonas (Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Tammi Jonas (Photo by Linsey Rendell)

 

Joe & Antonia Gretschmann (Elgaar Farm) spoke of their two-year battle to get their licence back to produce the beautiful organic milk and dairy products for which they are famous well beyond their home state of Tasmania. Jo Stritch of Happy Valley Free Range shared her devastating story of falling foul of the outdated planning scheme that deems her small-scale free-range pig farm ‘intensive’, resulting in a forced relocation of her entire farm to another shire. And finally, Mark and Helen Tyler of Moo View Dairy brought the crowd to tears as Mark struggled to tell their story of the day the dairy regulator turned up to tell them that what they were doing was illegal and they had to stop providing fresh, clean milk to their herdshare community effective immediately. Footage of the talks have kindly been provided by Anna at the Australian Raw Milk Movement.

 

(Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Mark Tyler, Joe Gretschmann and Jo Stritch (Photo by Linsey Rendell)

 

Over $35,000 was raised on the day thanks to the generosity of the many farmers, makers, and volunteers who donated their time and beautiful produce in support of the AFSA Legal Defence Fund (LDF), established in 2016.

More than AUD$7,000 has already been distributed to three farms in critical need of support as regulators forced them to stop farming. A legal hotline that will provide urgent help to farmers is in the planning, and the next step is to collate the known regulatory and planning barriers and commence writing and lobbying for reformed, scale-appropriate legislation to support a food sovereign future where growers of ethical and ecologically-sound produce can thrive.

 

Ciderhouse String Band (Photo by Linsey Rendell)
Ciderhouse String Band (Photo by Linsey Rendell)

people

The AFSA National Committee thanks:
Jonai Farms & Meatsmiths
Verde Provedores
Natasha Morgan
The Social Food Project
Sage Choice
Colin & Sally’s Organic Beef & Lamb
Red Beard Bakery
Angelica Organic Farm
Mt Franklin Organics
The Fermentary
Powlett St Ices
Danny’s Farm
Hepburn Mineral Water
Dr Chan’s Feeling Good Ferments
Captain’s Creek Organic
Holgate Brewhouse
The Cider House String Band
Costa
Matt Wilkinson
Daniel Zetah
Leif Bloomer
Donal Whelan
Jacqueline Bender
Ruby Scott
Andrew Stone
Vivien Yii
Julian Fang
Simone Luijckx
Serenity Hill
Sam Rogers
Clara Rogers
Kat Munksgaard
Paul Chapman
Mara Ripani
Mara Macs
Fiona Briers
Will Hughes
Lisa Heenan
Darren Doherty
Alejandro Coronoa
Audrey Thomas
Meg Lobb
Ruth Morris
Linsey Rendell
Emily Whyman
Penny Kothe
Jessica Donham

And of course a very special thanks to the tireless heretic farmer Joel Salatin!

 

joel
Joel Salatin (Photo by Linsey Rendell)

sitting people

Joel Salatin at Jonai Farms – 26 February 2017!

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Joel+Salatin+Web+3

The world’s most innovative farmer, Joel Salatin is back in Australia!

What would our food system look like if small scale regenerative farms were the norm?

Find out with renowned American farmer and author Joel Salatin, Costa Georgiadis from ABC’s Gardening Australia and Tammi and Stuart Jonas of Jonai Farms, leaders in the Australian agrarian movement - on Sunday 26 February 2017 at Jonai Farms, Eganstown Victoria.

“The time to defend the growing movement of small-scale food producers has come.” – Tammi Jonas, Jonai Farms

A Rare Opportunity

Master of ceremonies Costa Georgiadis will guide you through this wonderfully stimulating, thought provoking, and uncommonly delicious day.

  • Be inspired and spurred into action by stories from Joel Salatin, Tammi Jonas and a host of other amazing farmers, who are working hard to build a food system that is fair to all.
  • Hear from Sally Ruljancich, President of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance about how community-supported agriculture (CSA) is growing in Australia and reconnecting people to the land their food comes from, and how farmers and eaters can work together to grow this solidarity economy in Australia.
  • Listen to powerful stories from small-scale farmers who have been negatively impacted by unfair, inconsistent, or scale-inappropriate regulation and planning and have already received funding and support from the Legal Defence Fund.
  • See how farming with nature creates a beautiful and regenerative environment for soil, animals and people.
  • Tour the picturesque paddocks of Jonai Farms, where you will be greeted by happy pigs, contented cattle and cheeky chickens.
  • Explore the Jonai on-farm butcher’s shop and commercial curing room and find out why and how Jonai Farms stopped using purpose-grown grain and now divert tonnes of organic ‘waste’ from landfill to utilize as nutritious animal feed.

BOOK NOW

“Unfair, inconsistent regulations, illogical planning laws, a lack of transparency in labelling (including ingredients, GMOs and country of origin), food deserts, lack of food literacy - these issues abound. If we do not push back against the heavy-handed regulatory creep and erosion of our democratic rights as food eating citizens, we stand to further lose a genuine farming culture and supply of food which benefits us all.” -Sally Ruljancich, President of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance.

“There's a short chain between field and fork, and the shorter that chain is - the fresher, the more transparent that system is - the less chance there is of anything from bio-terrorism to pathogenicity to spoilage.” – Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm

BOOK NOW

Sunday 26 February 2017 - 10:30am to 4:30pm

129 Morgantis Road, Eganstown VIC 3461

Proceeds from the day at will help fund the AFSA Legal Defence Fund.

Raise Money to Defend Small-Scale Ethical Farming

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance Legal Defence Fund – constituted to help make farms like Jonai Farms the norm.

The Legal Defence Fund (LDF) was established to defend and promote the right of producers to grow, process and sell ecologically-sound and ethical food directly to eaters, and to protect everybody’s right to access local, ethical, nutritious and delicious food directly from farmers.

Food producers are copping the full brunt of abuse of power by regulators.

The issues include:

  • Communities who want access to raw milk from local dairies;
  • Farms processing on-farm, facing unfair and inconsistent regulation;
  • Outdated and illogical definitions in local planning schemes that protect industrial agriculture, while perversely punishing small-scale family farms.

MEDIA RELEASE: Education, Not Impulsive Legislation, Required in Dairy Industry

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Rowen Carter who runs Huon Valley Caravan Park, risks losing his family business because the Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority (TDIA), considers fresh milk tasting, as part of the farm stay, an illegal activity. (ABC News, 11 November).

Hopeful, Mr Carter today met with the Member for Franklin, Nic Street and Acting Chairman of the Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority (TDIA), Mark Sayer. At the meeting, it was explained to Mr Carter, that even sharing raw milk with friends at his own kitchen table would be in breach of the Act, because even though he would not be 'selling' raw milk, he would still be 'distributing' it.

"I can legally allow you to sit at my dining room table and offer you a can of coke and a cigarette but I am unable to offer you a glass of fresh (raw) milk and a scone with clotted cream."

"How can you put your argument across when there is no room for negotiation? The bottom line is the government think they have the right to take away your freedom of choice," said Mr Carter.

This comes on the back of a difficult period faced by Vicki Jones from Mountain View Organic Dairy. In 2014 Labor Minister Jane Garrett and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services made an impulsive decision to taint unpasteurised milk in response to an investigation into the death of a toddler, as a result of suspected E-coli.

Initial media reporting censured Mountain View Organic Dairy, however, recent Coroner’s report findings (24 October, 2016), appear to have softened the public reproach and found no fault with Mountain View.

Vicki Jones from Mountain View Organic Dairy said, “Our heart went out to the family involved because the situation would have been unbearable. However, we followed government regulation to the letter and were not found at fault by the Coroner’s investigation.

“Unfortunately, the government and Minister Garrett did more than taint the taste of unpasteurised milk, they tainted the reputation of our business by failing to work with us or support us during this difficult period,” said Ms Jones.

Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) President Sally Ruljancich asks, “Why do governing bodies continually shift responsibility onto producers? What has happened to the consumers’ right to choose and the responsibility of government to educate consumers?”

“Decisions like these by government do not have the interests of consumers or local farmers at heart. Instead heavy-handed legislation means the government can simply shut down situations that otherwise might require proactive action. Because that is easier than working with us, to empower consumers and assist them making informed purchasing decisions.”

“We support a renewed conversation between raw milk producers, raw milk drinkers and the government. Raw milk is consumed safely around the world; what is needed is safe, fair regulation, otherwise the raw milk drinking community will continue to exercise their choices in an unregulated market,” said Ms Ruljancich.

Celebrity Chef and star of River Cottage Australia Paul West is a vigilant campaigner for local producers, and asks government for further industry support.

“Our local food industry needs backing from governing bodies to assist consumers to make informed decisions, not impetuous reaction that threatens to foreclose local agribusiness,” said Mr West.

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance has been running a campaign to raise funds for a Legal Defence Fund to protect farmers’ and eaters’ right to determine their own food and agriculture systems. To find out more visit: afsa.org.au

 

Contact:

 

Sally Ruljancich

President, Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

Ph: 0404 490 035

 

Tammi Jonas

Legal Defence Fund

Ph: 0422 429 362

AFSA Legal Defence Fund Approaches $25,000!

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Eaten any wild-shot rabbit ragu lately? Venison stew? Home-cured salami, raw milk ricotta,  or vegetables fermented in granny’s massive pickling urn in the cellar?

Well I have, and these have been just a few of the incredibly delicious, nutritious, body- and community-nourishing dishes that are being shared at the #youcantbuywhatieat potluck protests being hosted and enjoyed by fair-food minded folk across the country. The potlucks are part of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance’s (AFSA) fundraising campaign to establish a Legal Defence Fund (LDF) to support small-scale farmers in their efforts to grow ethically- and ecologically-sound food for their communities, and eaters’ right to access these foods in the face of overly burdensome, unfair and inconsistent regulation and planning law.

As we approach $25,000 raised we’d like to update you on the three farms we have profiled in the campaign.

The good news is that after two long years fighting for their right to continue their 20-year history of producing a stunning range of milk and traditional dairy products in the north of Tasmania, Elgaar are finally back in production. Two years is a very long time to live without a livelihood and their recovery will take time, and the more people who support them and buy their products the smoother that recovery will be.

Unfortunately, Moo View in South Australia are still not allowed to provide their herdshare members with raw milk following their criminal conviction, and nor are the many other producers who lost that highest-value avenue for their milk over the past year in most states. The Australian Raw Milk Movement and others in addition to AFSA are doing great work promoting the need for reform of the draconian laws that treat raw milk like heroin, but meanwhile we’re keen to get some of the funds already raised to help Moo View through this very difficult time.

Jo Stritch of Happy Valley Free Range has bought a new farm in Gippsland, a shire with permitted use of the farming zone for intensive agriculture, which is important because although free-range pig and poultry farmers don’t consider ourselves intensive, until the planning scheme is revised we are still defined that way. But to add insult to injury in Jo’s case, she recently learned that her new property has a cultural overlay on it that may preclude her from obtaining an intensive permit.

You read that right, Jo may still not be allowed to raise her beautiful pigs on the lush paddocks of Gippsland because the Victorian Government has yet to revise a planning scheme they all agree is flawed. When AFSA meets with the ministers they routinely tell us that they are sympathetic to the problem and ‘working on it’, but meanwhile Jo remains unable to farm. The report of the Animal Industries Advisory Committee went to the ministers for planning and agriculture on 29 April 2016 and they have yet to issue a response. We have repeatedly asked for a moratorium on all decisions around the definitions of intensive and extensive until the scheme is revised but to no avail.

Jo is still farming on leased land across the district and is very grateful for the many loyal customers who have supported her at farmers’ markets through this very difficult period, but again AFSA is keen to get her some funds to help while she battles this unfair situation.

I’m writing this as we drive up the Hume to our next #youcantbuywhatieat potluck protest being hosted by the wonderful Catherine and Steve Crawford of Tarrawalla Farm in northeastern Victoria, where another community of some 120 people are coming together to fight for their right to determine their own food and agriculture systems, and to do so over the time-honoured tradition of sharing their home-grown, hunted, home-killed, home-cured, fermented, pickled and homemade produce.

When we reach $25,000 raised for the Legal Defence Fund, we will distribute 25% as promised to these three heroic farms to give them the support and confidence they need to keep going.

Please share the campaign with all your networks – your social media, your newsletters, and over your own convivial meals in your community. And if you want to host a #youcantbuywhatieat potluck of your own, drop us a line at admin@afsa.org.au and we’ll send you everything you need to get going.

Viva la revolucion!

Tammi Jonas, President

4 September 2016

Happy Valley Free Range – a case of flawed planning schemes

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Happy Valley Free Range farmer Jo Stritch and her family at have been subjected to the woes of unforgiving regulations and flawed planning schemes. Last year, a neighbour’s complaint led to a council inquiry as to whether Happy Valley Free range was deemed an ‘intensive’ or ‘extensive’ pig operation. Jo had no choice but to cease farming after VCAT classed the farm as ‘intensive’ due to more than 50 per cent of the pigs’ feed being imported onto the farm. Intensive farming is not permitted in parts of the Yarra Valley.

Jo’s story is riddled with irony. She was named Livestock Farmer of the Year in 2014, and she is revered for her ecological and humane practices. However it appears that VCAT’s uniform approach to regulating farming has failed to recognise Happy Valley for the small-scale, accredited free-range farm that it is, where pigs roam happily on ecologically managed pastures.

Dealing with VCAT cost Jo and her family $22 000. The Shire of Yarra Ranges is also seeking $3724 for issuing an enforcement to move the pigs out. The stress of dealing with the legal system has been almost too much for Jo to bear, as she lacks the knowledge, time and finances. In addition, there are the huge costs of having to sell the property and move.

The logistics of relocating a free-range pig farm is complicated. It’s a time consuming process, which obviously impacted business. The family has struggled to keep afloat, having to downsize and cut back on markets. Emotionally, the process has taken its toll too. Jo and her husband Andrew had been living on their Yarra Valley property for more than 23 years. It was the first property they bought as a married couple and it became a home where could raise their son.

Regardless, Jo and her family have shown great resilience and optimism throughout the ordeal. They exemplify the strength and promise of our small-scale farmers who are working within a system that seems to work against them. The family are set to move into their new place in Warragul South by December where they hope to reconsolidate and expand their business. While they will still be close enough to Melbourne to attend most of their regular markets, they will no longer be able to have farm gate sales and they’ll lose the benefits of tourism that the Yarra Valley attracts. Despite this, Jo and her family are in love with the new farm and the new opportunities it will provide. For example, Jo is hoping to host more open farm days to engage with her new community.

When asked to give advice for fellow farmers, Jo struggles. In her case, she felt it couldn’t be avoided that her neighbours failed to see the value of her farm. While there is a growing demand behind her business, it seems there is also a growing number of people who are detached from where their food comes from and who don’t want to see a farm at their doorstep. It’s appalling that Happy Valley Free Range could be deemed ‘intensive’, when it was the inhumane conditions animals face in intensive piggeries that led Jo to start her free-range farm.

Jo explains how thankful she is for her loyal customers who have shown much needed support through troubled times. The pigs are also what keep her going, no matter how hard or how costly. She loves what she does and she’s proud of Happy Valley, their ecological values, and their ethical approach to farming. She says more and more people are seeking free-range pork and she’s proud to continue to be apart of the community helping to create a fairer food future.

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