Kitchen Garden Forum

I have been listening to BBC Radio 4 since it started a 05.20 hrs and the bulletins have been giving out the news of the way the Australian flooded rivers are taking sludge out to sea that is taking mud and pesticides that will harm the Great Barrier Reef coupled with the fear of over fishing. How over fishing and mud on the Great Barrier Reef and over fishing get tied together beats me.
What I would have liked to hear is how the Australians are fairing after their terrible ordeal but not a mention. One presumes that Australians in their plight is no longer news. I hold the news editors responsible for this and and when you think they have to put the word pesticide in to make their news newsworthy is is a sorry tale. Think of the million upon million gallons of water that have gone into the sea and then think of the dilution rate on any pesticide and the bulletins get to the point of ridiculousness.
I must have heard this toted out at least a dozen times this morning.
Where did the over fishing come from I do not know because fishing anywhere near the Great Barrier Reef is very severely curtailed.
No news this morning so lets mention pesticides. These news editors must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel!
JB.

Morning Johnboy, Yes I was also wondering what was happening to all the flooded towns and farms, but as you say not a word was mentioned about it. Perhaps they thought we'd like a change and over fishing is a popular news item at the moment and a bit more doom and gloom over our destroying the planet with pesticide laden mud makes it even more exciting and newsworthy!

Hi JB, there's no excuse for the BBC getting the facts wrong, but I wonder if flooding had washed a high level of nitrates out to sea, whether that would be a concern for the coral?

Sorry, but I didn't hear the original report.

Hi JB,
My sister lives in Bundaberg which has been badly affected by the floods. The road to Brisbane was cut off for so long that the army had to drop food supplies 2 weeks ago and the only way to the shopping mall is by kayak she says. Not great though because of snakes in the water
She isn't Australian but her boyfriend is and the attitude seems to be open a tinnie, sit back and watch the water because it will go away eventually. Have to admire that attitude! No wringing of hands or moaning - just that it will pass and then we will clean up and move on.
I think they are past the worst there now but those poor people further down the coast - I can't imagine the scale of the floods and goodness knows how it will affect their growing land. Have made a resolution not to moan about the weather here

Hi Haggis,
Thank you for the timely update. You would imagine that the BBC would have the tenacity to actually broadcast something but even this morning the only news is that the new Prime Minister is to levy a tax on all Australians not involved in the floods. So again the utterings of a Prime Minister are more important than the actual people suffering the hardship.
There are so many people in the UK who have relatives in Australia you would think it would be part and parcel of the BBC's brief to keep these people up to date but apparently not. They only wanted the doom and gloom aspect and now that is over total silence. Much as I appreciate that the Great Barrier Reef carries great importance but not over the welfare of people.
JB.