The Country 21/02/25: Chris Russell talks to Jamie Mackay

Our Australian correspondent talks about running out of eggs, Tinder for cattle and the Queensland teacher who got sacked for identifying as a cat.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ausie update with Ecolabs, solid range, solid products, solid partnership,
solid results.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
He's our bloke across the Dutch's name is Chris Russell,
based out of Sydney. Now you're running out of eggs
over there, you're a bit like the Americans, Chris, Well,
we are, and.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
You know we've got a combination of things. Of course,
that nothing we can do about bird flu and the
millions of chalks that have been slaughtered to try and
limit that to the areas where it happens. But the
other problem we've got is that there we're facing out
caged eggs, even though we've increased the size of the cages.
You know, we're phasing them out and supermarket change like Woolworths,

(00:41):
Coals and Aldi are going to phase them out by
this year. Now. The Victorians are claiming, well, we need
to slow that down. We can't afford to do it.
I go into Coals or Wallis now and I'd say
eighty percent of the time there are zero eggs on
the shelf. And yet you can go into other places
and providing happy to take caged eggs, you can always
get them.

Speaker 4 (01:01):
So they're calling for those bands.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
The whole of Australia is supposed to be cage dev
free by twenty thirty six, and the egg producers saying,
let's just have that same moment here, a little bit
like the rush to Missions three electricity. Until we've got
this sort of out, we need to just calm down
a little bit and not worry too much about it.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, my sister's a chuck lady and she'll hate me
saying this. Hopefully she's not listening. But honestly, sometimes I
reckon we get carried away with animal welfare and I'll
get in trouble with animal welfare people as well. But
have you got to prioritize in life? Is it hens
or is it kids going to school hungry? What's your priority?

Speaker 3 (01:39):
I think that's exactly right. And I also think that
we're kind of construing what we like to do for chucks.
I know with barn laid chucks. You know they now
cut holes in the side of the barns and let
the chucks go out of the barn so they can
be free range, because they perceive the trucks are happier
when they wander around outside. But actually about two and

(02:00):
a half percent of the chops bother to go out
through the doors. They want to be in the sawdust
insigne nice and warm with all their mates. You know,
this whole animal sentience thing is just out of control
and it's another example of wokeism in our society.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Oh we'll get told off for that one, Chris.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Adds all the time.

Speaker 4 (02:17):
I'm used to it.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Well, of course, in back an our day, back and
a d they were starting like to sound like the
two old guys from the Muppets. Back in a there
was no tender Chris. You had to go to the
pub or the sports club and do the hard yards there.
But tinder's apparently working well in a remote cattle area
in Australia.

Speaker 5 (02:33):
Yes, well, they're trying to come these remote areas.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Of course they only see.

Speaker 6 (02:38):
Their cattle maybe once or twice a year, so they're
putting all these remote area cameras on water holes and
watering points where these cattle turn up as be able
to work out calves and cows and also other animals,
and also keep track of any signs of any diseases,
particularly reportable diseases like put in mouth or lumpy skin disease,

(02:59):
or the diseases now they've developed an app now which
they say is Tinder for cows.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
So you look at the footage of the cows which
comes into you from these various remote locations, and you
swipe left for calves and you swipe right for cows,
and anything that disease gets swiped left and then you
can relook at the left things. And it actually was.

Speaker 4 (03:22):
Developed from the Tender type app, and part from the
fact that the app used to previously have problems in
working out what was a pig and what was a cow,
and that's why they're now looking at it.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
It's now turned out to be something that's been quite
useful for farmers and keeping track of their animals. So
who'd have thought it Tinder for cows, Jamie.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, well, let's continue on with the back in our
Day theme. And back in our day people identified, especially
Aussies as blokes or sealers. Now you can identify as
all sorts of things, including if you want a cat
or a furry.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah, well, you know, I mean this is definitely in
what Planet is This again? File? When I read about
this Miss Purr at Brisbane Marsden State High School up
near Brisbane, because she apparently identifies as a cat and
is said to have been hissing a students and licking
the back of their hands. And you know, she sits

(04:19):
on all fours at the front of the room. Can
you imagine the images of a teacher.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
Wearing a black and white cat heir headband in class
and seeing their pairing.

Speaker 5 (04:30):
Anyway, Look, she's been given the flick.

Speaker 4 (04:33):
Now, I think, which she's definitely But.

Speaker 5 (04:36):
You know, when I was reading about this and researching this,
there's actually been a conference of these furies over in Europe.
So look, you know, I remember the experiment we did
at school where we put a whole bunch of mice
in a shoe box to see what would happen.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
When they were overcrowded, and I think they all went loopy. Well,
I think that's happening in our world, because I'm when
I read these stories, I'm thinking, I'm really not quite
sure whether you know what's over taken our genetics here
in this world, Jamie.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Well, I'm glad you and I identify as plugs. Chris Russell,
we'll chat again next.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
Week there, mate.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Pausie update with Ecolabs, Solid Range, solid Products, solid Partnership,
Solid Results,