Go west young man was an adage attributed to the early settlement in North America. For the wild duck population in NSW, fly south 'quackers' to the safety of Victoria could be apt.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Victorian government has put severe restrictions on duck shooting season whilst NSW has not.
After a rise in the Riverina duck population, the NSW government has lifted its duck cull quota by 16.5 per cent, from 39,723 birds last season to 46,304 for 2020-21. Helicopters, drones, and satellite data has shown a population of 460,000.
Ducks are a particular problem in rice paddies.
Included in the survey were dams, channels and wastewater treatment ponds.
It was estimated that 47,510 small dams had a least one duck. Breeding time would be interesting.
Needless to say, Victorian duck hunters are not happy with their government, with a limit per bag of two birds, down from 10 over a three week period instead of the normal 12 weeks.
Policing the two bird limit would be interesting, as every shooter would surely end up with two birds on their belt.
Of course into the discussion must come the issue over duck shooting.
In the Riverina, they cause enormous damage necessitating control measures, however, not so in Victoria. Their food supply at times can be severely limited, so a cull can be very beneficial.
There is anecdotal evidence that wild birds spread a range of diseases that impact on our poultry and livestock industries.
POPULARITY
I was sucked in by a social media image of a succulent piece of eye fillet selling for $15.90 accompanied by the blurb that it was "guaranteed to be tender, lean and flavoursome".
The eye fillet steak always wins the popularity contest and is a best seller in our retail stores.
Due to its low fat content, eye fillet steak is best served rare or medium-rare.
Enough to make a diner salivate and have visions of a plate dominated with a hunk of healthy meat.
But then enough to make a grown man sob.
It weighed between 180 to 220 grams costing $87 a kilogram.
Thank goodness there was relief for carnivores, with a 300 gram piece of rump for $10.50 or $36 a kilogram.
Oh, yes, both were free of fat so dexterity in cooking was required.
Great marketing to the well healed.
FIGHT FOR RELEVANCE
If you have the perception that sections of the dairy industry are at times whingers you are probably right.
And, leading the way are fringe dairy organisations fighting for relevance that in turn feed a receptive media pack.
The hounds have been baying since a northern NSW co-operative announced a hefty lift in returns.
An industry spokesperson urging caution said, "the step-ups by two processors - of less than one cent per litre annualised - are terrific for their suppliers but could be considered exceptions. Both operate in domestic niche markets, are less exposed to commodities and import competition than many, and COVID has moved demand from food service to retail. It is important to remember processors do not operate equally in the same space".
So true and it must be remembered that pressure on the once great Murray Goulburn sent it to the wall.
A cowboy approach only has short-term results.