Bad seed spoils for all
NEWS reports last week advised consumers to destroy all rockmelons recently purchased due to the risk of sickness and deaths reportedly from the fruit.
What is wrong with the governing authorities who raise the total destruction of a fruit/ melon market due to the problems which have been attributed to a single grower?
There is definitely gross incompetence demonstrated from that authority by not identifying the specific grower’s product and requiring only its removal from sale, without the hullabaloo or media involvement.
There can be no excuse for this penalty against every other grower of rockmelons whose product has now been consigned to the garbage heap, no matter where they were in Australia.
That is, if media reports are to be believed or have any future credibility.
As an example of the controls which can and should/ do apply, I quote my own experience as a master fisherman of past years.
Without exception, all my product that went to the wholesale buyer clearly identified me as the initial supplier to the ultimate buyer and consumer.
If ever there was a query of any nature, or whatever, of the product I supplied, any query would have been directed to me.
What’s more, if any issue arose, the product would have been removed from the market until the issue was resolved.
This applied to all fishermen supplying that buyer.
The media would not have been involved, as has been the case in this instance.
I ask why wasn’t this done in this case, to avoid penalising other growers who were not obviously affected?
Why is the media now penalising every grower for the fault of one grower? It strikes me as bias and media sensationalism for not properly investigating the issue and putting the responsibility on the ( obviously) identified grower.
Instead, what has happened, is the entire rockmelon growing farming community is penalised.
So, who then are the losers? All the other growers whose product has been condemned due to one grower.
Where are the media’s investigative reporters now, or is it too hard?
The question I raise must be pursued to get some positive answers instead of glib shrug- off, buck- passing responses.
The media should not put this in the too- hard basket. This could well be an opportunity to have any rules and/ or regulations changed or properly administered for the better.
Or an immediate improvement in the media’s investigative reporting to the general public. You have the challenge. KEITH BAGLEY,
Ingham.