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Nathan White and his family were one of the 612 families to take a
keen interest in farming and how their food is produced during
Farm Day in 2007–08.
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BRIDGING THE CITY–COUNTRY DIVIDE
Promote industry integrity
Our integrity program plays an important role in bridging the divide between the city and the country, by building urban Australia’s basic knowledge of beef production, providing experience of farm life and creating a human bond with producers.
During the year, the most significant issue was the role of agriculture in climate change. We took steps to correct some of the misinformation that is prominent in the debate. We developed two brochures – one for children and one for adults – with information about red meat in the Australian context, and an outline of the other factors to consider such as land use and biodiversity opportunities for carbon sequestration. We have distributed around 10,000 copies to date.
Our activities at agricultural shows around the country – The Royal Easter Show in Sydney, the Brisbane Ekka and the Adelaide Show – have educated hundreds of thousands of people about where their food comes from and how it is ethically produced in Australia. Farm Day is another key initiative that MLA supports and this year 612 city and country families participated – a 70 per cent increase on last year. This indicates the urban community’s interest in knowing more about farming and the production of their food – a key role in maintaining consumer trust in our industry. An important component of our participation at events is the associated public relations and media coverage. During 2007–08 we reached a cumulative audience of over 11 million people with our $100,000 investment.
