Department Of Agriculture Letterhead: Fill & Download for Free

The Kashmir Valley, surrounded by the majestic deep blue mountains seems like a peaceful, soothing place that you would go for meditation or get away from it all. However, the reality couldn’t be more different. There have been three days of bandh – or no work. All shops are closed, employees have a reason to be absent, schools are empty with the school children creating chaos on streets by throwing stones on cars. Outwardly, everything seems peaceful but deep inside, people feel desperate for change.We visit the famous Kashmir University and it probably has the best location on the planet. There are separate blocks for each department – sociology, statistics, physics, biotechnology, kashmiri studies, etc. We walk in the lush green gardens surrounding them and in the backdrop are snow-clad mountains and the Dal lake. But, something seems missing. There are no people. Hardly anyone has turned up because of the bandh. No work. The Economics department is locked.We leave the University and go to the Directorate of Industries. There, only one person has come and he expresses helplessness at the situation where no one has turned up at the office and he knows nothing about any studies that have been undertaken by the Directorate. He apologizes profusely because he cannot offer us water or tea as no peon has turned up. I write down my list of wanted studies and give this sheet to him knowing that it would end up in the bin when we leave.The Deputy Director of Agriculture keeps accompanying me to the Directorates. He knows so many people that every five minutes the car stops to wish all his friends salaam walaikum. The links that people share (or social capital) is normally considered to be good for increasing growth. Ironically, here social capital seems counterproductive.It is said that the devil resides in an idle mind’s workshop. I wonder if its true in Kashmir’s case. Our next stop is the Directorate of Agriculture. There we are greeted by the Director who has a large cabin with large curtains embroidered with floral patterns and a sign on his desk reads ‘Please be brief’. The Director, however, is garrulous. He explains why militancy happened and how people started planting apples that had higher returns than normal crops such as rice and maize. The villages that had high incomes from apples (Sopor and Chhupaya) also had a lot of militancy. But people had stopped building housing and there was little long term fixed investment. The political situation was bad – in 1987 – apparently the elections were rigged, that resulted in several locals escaping to POK for training and when they returned – all hell broke lose.Then we go into the Deputy director’s office and a crowd of 8 people sits down and start chit-chatting in Kashmiri talking about inane things and sipping tea. I keep making notes on their (lack of) working habits and ask to leave for lunch. On the way back, we see children throwing stones at cars passing by. We are lucky to escape. The driver tells me that each kid is paid Rs. 50 to throw stones.The next day, we go to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics – here 3 people have turned up out of a 100. We are led into the surveys section – where there are dusty files in dusty cabinets waiting to become dust themselves. There is only one person (Abdul Rashid) here who looks suspiciously at me. He asks questions to assess if I really need data. He talks like he is guarding a treasure and only he knows the password. ‘You will not get this data anywhere else but here’ he explains. ‘But you must come day after tomorrow when there are more people here’. On telling him that I will be leaving that day, he says he cannot help me. But I am persistent. Eventually, he tells me that he is doing a big favour by giving me some books that I need to return tomorrow. On their return, if he is in office tomorrow, I will be given the rest. His offer is conditional. He asks me if I can write a letter on an LSE letterhead to issue the books, takes my card, says he is really trusting me and I must return these books tomorrow. I take my treasure (that looks like it has been dug from underground) and run into the car. I take photos of about 200 pages that I can use later. The following day, I return the books and he is not there. However, I go to the Director General and tell him to help me and he asks the Librarian to give me the rest of the books. The Library is dark and empty with the Librarian chatting with a couple of other employees. I ask for the books and he says that I cannot take them from the library. I plead with him but to no avail. So I photograph about 600 pages in the next 6 hours in the dingy library while the librarian engages in mindless banter with the other employees who are wearing a kurta.On my way back, I wonder if the attitude of the officials and the state of Kashmir are somehow linked. The culture of laziness pervading the lives of locals, the feeling of being oppressed by those in power, the lack of opportunity and the sense of being treated as second-class citizens in their own homeland all seem to be inter-related.

Of course. The fact that it is a service dog doesn’t reduce the bio-security risk. The following is a step by step guide from the Department of Agriculture and it has to be followed to the letter and all in the correct order. It is why many people opt to have it done by professionals.Group 3: step by step guide for dogs​​​​​Dogs coming to Australia from group 3 countries must be accompanied by a valid import permit, which provides the conditions for importing the dog. The conditions on the import permit take precedence over any other source of information. This step-by-step guide explains what you must do to prepare your dog for export; it is not a substitute for the import permit. Dogs must comply with all conditions on the import permit. Failure to comply with the conditions on the import permit may result in the dog being (at your cost): held longer in post entry quarantine subject to additional testing exported euthanased.On arrival in Australia dogs must spend a minimum of 10 day at the Mickleham post entry quarantine facility.A government approved veterinarian or official government veterinarian must perform all veterinary procedures listed below.All testing must be done in an approved country in a laboratory recognised by the government of the country of export.The department cannot give advice on treatments for diseases. Seek advice from a veterinarian if your dog tests positive to an infectious disease listed in the import conditions.[hide all]Step 1: Contact the competent authorityTimeframe: Before starting the export processContact the competent authority in the country of export to find out: which veterinarians and laboratories are approved to prepare your dog for export (all veterinary procedures and testing must be done in an approved country and testing must be done in a laboratory recognised by the competent authority of the approved exporting country) if the country of export has any requirements in addition to those stated on this webpage if the country of export has an agreed veterinary health certificate to use instead of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment standard veterinary health certificate.The department recommends that you take this information to your government approved veterinarian or pet transport agent to help you understand the requirements.Further guidance for government approved veterinarians preparing dogs and cats to Australia:Guidance for government approved veterinarians preparing dogs and cats for export to Australia PDF [295 KB, 2 pages]Guidance for government approved veterinarians preparing dogs and cats for export to Australia DOC [120 KB, 2 pages]​Step 2: Confirm general eligibilityTimeframe: Before starting the export processDogs can only be exported to Australia from an approved country. can only be exported to Australia after 180 days from the date the blood sample for the rabies neutralising antibody titre test (RNATT) arrives at the testing laboratory – step 4 and 5 must not be under quarantine restrictions at the time of export. must not be more than 30 days pregnant nor be suckling young at the time of export.Domestic/non-domestic animal hybrids (e.g. wolf-dog crosses) are not eligible for import. This includes, but not limited to: Czechoslovakian wolfdog or Czechoslovakian Vlcak Saarloos wolfdog or Saarloos wolfhound Lupo Italiano or Italian wolfdog Kunming wolfdog or Kunming dog.Please contact the department’s Environmental Biosecurity Office for more information on hybrid animals and reproductive material/specimens.In accordance with the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, dogs of the following pure breeds cannot be imported to Australia: dogo Argentino fila Brasileiro Japanese Tosa American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario.For more information on prohibited dog breeds, contact the Department of Home Affairs on +61 2 6264 1111 or 131 881 (within Australia).Step 3: Verify existing microchip or implant a new microchipTimeframe: Dependent on vaccine validityDogs must be identified by a microchip that can be read by an Avid, Trovan, Destron or other ISO compatible reader.A government approved veterinarian must scan the microchip at each veterinary visit. The scanned microchip number must be correctly recorded on all documentation.If the microchip cannot be read or is recorded incorrectly in the dog's documentation, the dog cannot be imported to Australia.Microchip numbers starting with 999 are not acceptable because they are not unique.Step 4: Check rabies vaccinationTimeframe: Dependent on vaccine validityYour dog must be vaccinated with an inactivated rabies vaccine that:was given in an approved country when the dog was at least 90 days oldis valid, in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions, at the time of exportis approved for use in dogs by the competent authority of the country of exportRabies vaccinations with a three (3) year validity are acceptable if given in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.Step 5: Rabies neutralising antibody titre (RNAT) testTimeframe: Between 180 days and 24 months before the date of exportWait 3-4 weeks between the rabies vaccination and blood sample collection for the RNAT test, but if the dog has a history of regular rabies vaccinations it may be possible to collect the blood sample sooner.The RNAT test must meet the following requirements: A government approved veterinarian must scan the dog’s microchip and collect the blood sample for the RNAT test in an approved country. The dog’s microchip number must be written accurately on the blood tube and the laboratory submission form. The testing laboratory must be approved by the competent authority in the exporting country. It is acceptable to draw blood in an approved country and test it at a laboratory in a different approved country. The testing laboratory must use either a fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation (FAVN) test or a rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT). The laboratory report must be in English and completed on the testing laboratory’s letterhead. It must include: the dog’s microchip number the blood sampling date and location the signature of the person issuing the laboratory report the test type and test result.A result of 0.5 IU/ml or more is acceptable. A result of less than 0.5 IU/ml is not acceptable and in this circumstance you must re-vaccinate and repeat the testing process.The RNAT test is valid for 24 months from the date of blood sampling. If the RNAT test is more than 24 months old at the time of export it is not valid and you cannot export the dog to Australia. You must have your dog retested.The dog is not eligible for export to Australia until at least one hundred and eighty (180) days after the blood sample arrives at the lab for this RNAT test (with a satisfactory result). There is no requirement for the dog to stay in an approved country during this period.Note: There are no exceptions or dispensations available for this mandatory 180 day waiting period.Step 6: An official government veterinarian must complete the rabies vaccination and RNAT test declarationTimeframe: Before applying for the import permitAn official government veterinarian (not the government approved veterinarian) in the country of export must: check the RNAT test laboratory report and rabies vaccination certificate complete, sign and stamp the RNAT test declaration.The microchip number, test result and blood sampling date must be consistent between the RNAT test laboratory report and RNAT test declaration.Ensure the completed RNAT test declaration states the name of the testing laboratory, not the submitting laboratory.Step 7: Apply and pay for the import permitTimeframe: After you have received the completed rabies vaccination and RNAT test declaration, and at least 42 days before the proposed date of exportSubmit your import permit application, including full payment and all supporting documentation, online through our Biosecurity Import Conditions System (BICON).Supporting documentation (original documents are not required) must include: Rabies vaccination and RNAT test declaration. RNAT test laboratory report.Additional charges may apply if information is missing, incorrect or if an application is put on hold.We endeavour to assess import permit applications within 20 business days of receiving a complete and fully paid application however the legislated decision making period in relation to an import permit application is 123 business days. The decision making period may be paused where further information is required to assess the application or biosecurity risk. Submitting an application does not guarantee that we will grant an import permit.As of 1 March 2021, the import permit will be valid for 12 months or until the Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre (RNAT) test expires, whichever occurs first.Step 8: Book tentative post entry quarantine accommodation and make travel arrangementsTimeframe: After you have received your import permitDogs must spend at least 10 days at the Mickleham post entry quarantine facility. See the Australian post entry quarantine facilities webpage for further information.Where a biosecurity officer deems necessary, diagnostic samples may be collected from animals in PEQ, including to verify that the import conditions continue to manage the biosecurity risks associated with the import of animals to Australia.Travel arrangements:The department does not place any restrictions on the airline you choose. But the dog must arrive direct into Melbourne International Airport. Domestic transfers from an Australian city to Melbourne are not permitted.The dog must travel as manifested cargo (not in the cabin), in an International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved crate for dogs. IATA guidelines can be viewed at Traveler's Pet Corner.There are animal transport companies in most countries that can make arrangements for you. Visit the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association for a list of animal transport companies worldwide.The department accepts no responsibility for animals that escape en route.All transport costs are at the importer’s expense.Transit/TranshipmentThe dog may transit (touch down but stay on the same plane) or tranship (change aircraft) in any country en route to Australia.Dogs transhipped through international airports in non-approved countries must not leave the international side of the airport.It is the importer’s responsibility to contact the competent authority in the country of transhipment to find out: whether they allow animals to tranship whether they have a facility to accommodate animals during transhipment how long the animals can be held if any additional conditions apply.Step 9: Check other vaccinationsTimeframe: Dependent on the validity of your dog’s vaccination and at least 14 days before the date of exportDogs may be vaccinated against Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola as an alternative to the testing outlined in Step 14. If you choose to do this, dogs must be fully vaccinated against Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola, according to manufacturer’s recommendations (usually an initial course of two vaccines 2-4 weeks apart followed by yearly boosters), at least 14 days before export. The vaccination must be valid at the time of export.Further guidance relating to Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola vaccination for veterinarians preparing dogs for export to Australia is available:Leptospira interrogans sv. Canicola vaccination guidance for veterinarians preparing dogs for export to Australia PDF[441 KB, 2 page]Leptospira interrogans sv. Canicola vaccination guidance for veterinarians preparing dogs for export to Australia DOCX[26 KB, 2 page]The department recommends that your dog receives a vaccination that protects against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Para-influenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica and is valid for the entire post entry quarantine period.USA and Singapore only: Dogs exported from the USA and Singapore must be fully vaccinated against canine influenza virus (CIV).Use any CIV vaccine registered in the exporting country for use in dogs.Use a vaccine that is effective against the particular CIV virus strain(s) prevalent in the area in which the dog has been living.Vaccinations must be given between 12 months and 14 days before export.Previously unvaccinated animals must receive a primary course in accordance with manufacturer instructions.Canada and Republic of Korea: Dogs exported on or after 2 December 2019 from Canada and Republic of Korea must be fully vaccinated against canine influenza virus (CIV).Use any CIV vaccine registered in the exporting country for use in dogs.Use a vaccine that is effective against the particular CIV virus strain(s) prevalent in the area in which the dog has been living.Vaccinations must be given between 12 months and 14 days before export.Previously unvaccinated animals must receive a primary course in accordance with manufacturer instructions.Step 10: External parasite treatmentsTimeframe: Start at least 21 days before the date of blood sampling for Ehrlichia canis (Step 11)A government approved veterinarian must treat the dog with a product that kills ticks and fleas on contact at least 21 days before blood collection for Ehrlichia canis antibody testing. Continuous protection from external parasites must be maintained until the time of export and treatments may need to be repeated by the veterinarian in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions.To calculate 21 days after initial external parasite treatment, count the day the treatment is applied as day 0. For example, if treatment is given 1 January then the blood sample cannot be collected until 22 January.At each subsequent veterinary visit, the Government approved veterinarian should thoroughly check the dog for external parasites. If fleas or ticks are found they must be removed, the treatment restarted and the dog tested for Ehrlichia canis antibodies 21 days later.See the department’s webpage for further information on acceptable treatments.Step 11: Testing for Ehrlichia canisTimeframe: Within 45 days before the date of exportA government approved veterinarian must scan and verify the animal’s microchip and collect a blood sample at least 21 days after external parasite treatment starts (Step 10) and within 45 days before export. The sample must be tested for Ehrlichia canis infection by an Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT) for the detection of IgG antibodies. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests or an IFAT for the detection of IgM antibodies are not accepted.​The test must produce a negative result at a dilution of 1:40.If external parasite treatments do not provide continuous protection from at least 21 days before the date of blood sampling for the Ehrlichia canis testing until export, the test result will be invalidated and steps 10 and 11 must be repeated.Step 12: Testing for Brucella canis (Brucellosis)Timeframe: Within 45 days before the date of exportIf the dog is desexed it doesn’t need testing for Brucellosis (evidence of desexing may be requested by the competent authority in the exporting country or the department).ORIf the dog is not desexed, a government approved veterinarian must scan and verify the animal’s microchip and collect a blood sample to be tested for Brucella canis using a rapid slide agglutination test (RSAT), a tube agglutination test (TAT) or an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) within 45 days before the date of export.The test must produce a negative result.If the result is positive or inconclusive contact the department for further advice.The dog must not be mated or artificially inseminated from 14 days before blood sampling until export.Step 13: Testing for Leishmania infantum (Leishmaniosis)Timeframe: Within 45 days before the date of exportA government approved veterinarian must scan and verify the animal’s microchip and collect a blood sample to be tested for Leishmania infantum using either an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) or an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) within 45 days before the date of export.The test must produce a negative result.Step 14: Testing for Leptospira canicola (Leptospirosis)Timeframe: Within 45 days before the date of exportThis step only applies if the dog has not been vaccinated against Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola as per Step 9.A government approved veterinarian must scan and verify the animal’s microchip and collect a blood sample to be tested for Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola using a microscopic agglutination test (MAT) within 45 days before the date of export.The test must produce a negative result (less than 50% agglutination) at a serum dilution of 1:100.Step 15: (only if the dog has ever visited mainland Africa): Babesia canis treatmentTimeframe: Within 28 days before the date of exportIf your dog has ever visited mainland Africa, a government approved veterinarian must treat it with a single dose of imidocarb dipropionate at a rate of 7.5mg/kg body weight, or two doses at a rate of 6.0 mg/kg body weight given at least 14 days apart. Treatments must be by subcutaneous injection and given within 28 days before export.Step 16: Internal parasite treatmentsTimeframe: Two treatments at least 14 days apart, with the second treatment given within 5 days before exportA government approved veterinarian must treat the dog twice with an internal parasite treatment effective against internal parasites (nematodes and cestodes). The two treatments must be administered at least 14 days apart and within 45 days before export. The second treatment must be given within five (5) days before export.​​ See the department’s webpage for further information on acceptable treatments.Step 17: Pre export clinical examinationTimeframe: Within 5 days before the date of exportThe dog must be examined by a government approved veterinarian or an official government veterinarian and found to be free from external parasites and clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease within five (5) days before export. You must bring all documents to this examination.Step 18: Completion of veterinary health certificate (Appendix 1)Timeframe: Within 5 days before the date of exportThe veterinary health certificate is Appendix 1 of your import permit.A valid import permit, with a veterinary health certificate completed by an official government veterinarian in the country of export must accompany the dog on arrival in Australia.An official government veterinarian must complete, sign and stamp all pages of the veterinary health certificateAny corrections made to the veterinary health certificate must be struck through, remain legible and be signed and stamped by the official government veterinarian (correction fluid must not be used).An official government veterinarian must also sign and stamp every page of the: Ehrlichia canis laboratory report. Leishmania infantum laboratory report. Brucella canis laboratory report (if not desexed). Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola laboratory report (if not vaccinated). RNATT declaration RNATT laboratory report.Copies can be used, but they must bear the original signature of the official government veterinarian and stamp of the competent authority on every page.It is recommended that you also keep a copy of every document.For further guidance for official government veterinarians preparing dogs and cats to Australia:Guidance for official government veterinarians preparing dogs and cats for export to Australia PDF[364 KB, 1 page]Guidance for official government veterinarians preparing dogs and cats for export to Australia DOCX[37 KB, 1 page]Step 19: Travel to AustraliaThe dog must travel in an International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved crate for dogs (see Step 8).Do not place any items, including toys, medication or items of value, in the crate as they will be destroyed after arrival in Australia as biosecurity waste.In most cases the dog will be checked in at the freight terminal, not the passenger terminal.The dog must arrive in Australia before the import permit expires.Step 20: On arrival in AustraliaDepartmental staff will collect your dog on arrival for transport directly to the Mickleham post entry quarantine facility.Dogs must stay at Mickleham for a minimum of 10 days. Any issues that increase biosecurity risk may result in a longer stay.Where a biosecurity officer deems necessary, diagnostic samples may be collected from animals in PEQ, including to verify that the import conditions continue to manage the biosecurity risks associated with the import of animals to Australia.Subscribe to alertsSubscribe to receive information on:departmental policies that affect cat and dog importers and their agents.emergency situations i.e. overseas cat and dog disease outbreaks affecting imports.We recommend you check our website regularly for up‐to‐date information as import conditions can and may change without notice.Call 1800 900 090 Make a general inquiry Report a biosecurity concern Contact the media team Last reviewed: 16 February 2021

Since corrupt is a somewhat subjective term, I am going to go with what is the most unethical industry in the America.That is the Labor industry.I know, some of you are thinking, 'What Labor industry?', what I am talking about are Unions. Regardless of how they see themselves, unions, public or private sector, are businesses in every sense of the word, they are in the business of providing negotiating services for their members.But why are the corrupt, here is a case study in predatory unionism that cost thousands of people their jobs back in the 90'sDuring the 1980s and into the 1990s the unions started a new tactic, "corporate campaigning". Corporate campaigning is a clever public relations ploy to force employers to become union or force them out of business, through the use of activist "fronts".Union corporate campaigns are inherently anti-consumer, for they are designed to specifically to raise prices or drive out of business lower-priced, non-union employers--to cartel the industry's labor market. They are also anti-worker, in that they are designed to threaten the job security of non-union workers by financially harming their employers.The ultimate objective of "corporate campaigning" is to pressure the company to accept a union without ever permitting its employees to vote on whether or not they want a union.If you think all I am blowing is hot air, in a speech by Douglas H. Dority, the executive vice president and international director of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCWI) at a 1990 union organizers' conference in Las Vegas. "The biggest problem facing the union", said Dority, "is that non-union stores grew faster [during the 1980 and still due today] than we organize them, the non-union chains - Food Lions, Price Choppers, and Hy-Vees of our industry." "Over the long run, we must either reduce these chains' market share. Or, put them out of business. There is no other option"[emphasis added-JV]Joe Crump, the secretary/treasure of the Grand Rapids Michigan local of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), stated in Labor Research Review that his union defines successful organizing in one of two ways: " .either a ratified, signed collective bargaining agreement with a previously non-union employer or a curtailment of a non-union operator's business, including shutting the business down. Neither of these outcomes will occur by relying on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)" [emphasis added-JV]A self-congratulatory Crump then boasted that "after a three year struggle, the battle with Family Foods is over. The company went out of business.""Organizing is war," says Crump, and that means harassing non-union employers and "costing them enough time and money to either eliminate them or get them to surrender to the union." Employers must be made to pay for operating non-union." [emphasis added-JV]Clearly, driving one's competitor out of business may be good for aspiring monopolist, but it is bad for consumers and those workers at companies like Family Foods who lose their jobs. Low-income Americans are the ones hurt the most, as they always are when prices rise.The most telling document is "Developing New Tactics: Winning With Coordinated Corporate Campaigns." It is published by the AFL-CIO and describes to union organizers how "United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 tried for years to organize the Magruder's supermarket chain in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area." After the union picketed and "informed the public" about the store's allegedly substandard products and labor practices, "Magruder's voluntarily recognized the union - without an NLRB election" because it wanted to avoid "the threat of informational pickets and bad publicity."Crump recognizes that "waging economic war on an unorganized company" might "turn employees against the union," but he advises union organizers to forget about that - employees' opinion need not matter. For if you had massive employee support, you probably would be conducting a traditional organizing campaign" in which employees vote on whether or not they wanted a union.[emphasis added-JV]This tells me something; they really don't care about the workers at these non-union chains. The unions talk about "workplace democracy", but the tactics they are using are anything but democratic; they are specifically designed to avoid the inconvenience of holding union certification elections.Unions had failed to organize the employees of companies like Publix or Food Lion because the majority of the employees did not want to be unionized. Having failed at traditional union organizing at Food Lion in the early 1980s, the UFCW has waged a "corporate campaign" against the grocery chain. The corporate campaign was designed to either force the company to unionize, whether or not a vote of the employees is ever taken, or face an increased risk of bankruptcy. The union assault on Food Lion provides a case study in "corporate campaigning."Here is some back ground on Food Lion. Food Lion was one of the fastest growing supermarket chains in the country before an ABC news segment, opening more than 800 stores from 1983 to 1992, with sales and earning increasing by 22.5% and 23.3% respectively. The reason for Food Lions success was simple: it offered competitive products, services and prices. It also has a work force that rejected unionization; the last attempt occurred in the early 1980's. Employee satisfaction was so strong that the UFWC has never attempted to organize Food Lion employees since.This posses a problem for the union. Their goal is to harass Food Lion, forcing it to incur costs that raise its prices to the levels of unionized stores, or drive the company out of business altogether. Either strategy is blatantly anti-consumer. The union however, would have the public believe that its agenda is pro-consumer. To accomplish this transformation, the union employed a common tactic: they created front groups that posed as a public-spirited "consumer protection" organization. Union attacks on nonunion firms like Food Lion would be dismissed as self-serving but they have more credence when carried out by "consumer activists."Consumers United With EmployeesThe front organization created for the corporate campaign against Food Lions was called "Consumers United With Employees" (CUE). It labels itself a "Coalition for Better America." However, a quick glance at the organization's letterhead reveals that it is comprised of a coalition of nonprofit advocacy groups, the ACLU, NAACP, Consumer Federation of America, and National Consumers Leagues, as well as several union organizations and religious groups. CUE is not a coalition of consumers; it is a confederacy of ideological interest groups. It's address - 2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC, Suite 421 - is a slot at Mailboxes Tc. But CUE can be reached by phone by calling the Food and Allied Service Trades, a subsidiary of the AFL-CIO financed by the UFCW. CUE is financed as well by the UFCW, and its purpose is to play what the Washington Times calls "dirty tricks" on the nonunion Food Lion chain.CUE's first "dirty trick" was to issue a series of headline grabbing press releases on February 04, 1994, claiming that it conducted a "study" of Food Lion and had "discovered" the chain allegedly posed a threat to the health of babies through the "sale of outdated infant formula at Food Lion Supermarkets." In a letter to CUE members the same day, Robert F. Harbrant, President of the AFL-CIO Food and Allied Service Trades department, "on behalf of C.U.E.," urged CUE members to "contact your local Congressional representative and urge them to investigate this matter," and also "contact your state and local representatives."The UFCW under the guise of a "consumer" alert, seek to pressure federal, state and local governments to harass Food Lion. The press releases and the report are clearly designed to frighten purchasers of infant formula and to inflict the maximum public relations damage on Food Lion. What the report does not say is even more interesting, that "outdated baby formula does not pose a health hazard." It only loses some of its nutritional value. CUE was forced to admit this publicly when questioned by the media.No attempt to compare Food Lion sales of outdated formula and other items with those of other grocery chains, especially unionized stores, was made. There are bound to be outdated products at virtually every grocery store. According to Supermarket News, when asked why he didn't examine infant formula dates in unionized stores, Sean Cunnif, a CUE spokesman, pleaded poverty: "It's very difficult in the terms of resources."A more likely scenario is CUE knew it would find that the incidence of outdated infant formula was no lower than at Food Lion. In fact, Food Lion commissioned an independent "spot check" of 50 unionized Safeway, Giant and Magruder's grocery store in the Washington, DC area and claims to have found more than 700 "expired" over-the-counter drugs and to have purchased baby laxative at one store that expired in May of 1991.CUE's explanation of its report was also misleading. CUE claimed 37.5% of the stores it "inspected" in eight states were selling "outdated" baby formula. If a single can of "outdated" baby formula was spotted on the back shelf in a store, the that store was selling outdated infant formula. CUE "inspections" specifically targeted Virginia Food Lion stores. Why? Because Food Lion was attempting to expand into the highly unionized Northern Virginia market dominated by Giant Foods and Safeway.A spokeswoman at the Virginia Dept. of Agriculture stated publicly that "in Virginia, Food Lion's overall compliance with state-inspection requirements is among the highest in the state." Bob Gordon, director of the North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture's Division of Food & Drug Protection, called CUE's report a "low blow" and that "much has been made about nothing"The CUE report attempts to mislead the media because it only cites Food Lion errors, - some real, some questionable -- when CUE surely knows that other grocery chains have similar lapses in procedures. Food Lion does not deny that it has problems with outdated products in its more than 1,100 stores. But the savage condemnation of CUE press releases suggest that Food Lions performance is far worse than its competitors, poses health hazards, and deserves special attention by government authorities.The union's next tactic against Food Lion was to persuade ABC News to report its allegations as a news story. The union claimed that Food Lion stores routinely sold rotten fish and ham, covering up the spoilage by bathing the meats in Clorox. The story aired on November 05, 1992. The Washington Times reported, "Diane Sawyer and her producers worked hand-in-hand with the union, and then did their best to pretend that it had little or no role in the broadcast." Apparently, the union provided ABC's "Prime Time Live" with a roster of disgruntled former employees to interview, which the network did. The UFCW also gave an "undercover" ABC News reporter "minimal training and arranged for a phone letter of recommendation so she could get a job at Food Lion."The notion of any supermarket could get away with routinely selling ham bathed in Clorox in the hyper-competitive grocery industry is absurd. If a grocer was so foolish as to attempt it, customers could certainly detect it, if the grocer's competitors did not do so first. The immediate result would be loss of sales or even bankruptcy. No grocery chain, all which rely on repeat sales to steady customers, could be as successful as Food Lion if it sold rotten food smelling of Clorox.Surely there are periodic lapses in all grocery stores. But ABC News gave its viewing audience the false impression that such problems were unique to Food Lion. ABC apparently made no attempt to shoot film footage of the filthy supermarket environments of the unionized firms in the Northeast - including the New York City area, where ABC News is located - described by the New York Times as "supermarket purgatory."ABC later admitted, "state health departments say Food Lions sanitation records are on par with other chains" and "in many cases.far exceed unionized competitors." But the damage was done to Food Lion by ABC's tabloid style story. Food Lions earnings fell by 55% in the fourth quarter of 1992 and its earnings for the first quarter of 1993 were 56% below the first quarter of the previous year. The company reported that its net income declined by 41.6% for the second quarter of 1993 compared to the second quarter of 1992. In 1994 the chain closed 84 stores, laying off 1,300 full-time and 2,200 part-time workers.But is Food Lion really that bad? Consider a typical report from the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture for the period of March 1993 to April 1994, the time period the CUE so called study was assembled. Food Lion stores were found to have some past-dated items in a few stores, but they were substantially less severe than in unionized stores like A&P and Kroger. No Food Lion stores in Georgia had out-of-date baby food during the relevant period, but four stores in the Kroger and A&P chains did. Now, if CUE were genuinely concerned about consumers, it would have reported all of the easily obtainable public data.Nonunion Publix and Food Lion had the fewest reported "incidents" per store. Unionized A&P had by far the worst record, with a cumulative score that was almost three times higher than Food Lion, while the unionized Kroger chain had about 70% more incidents than Food Lion. CUE id not report on the relatively poor performance of these two chains.The CUE study focuses on Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, these states were the areas where Food Lion attempts to compete most vigorously. Once again, the government report, the same ones used by CUE, do not show that Food Lion was any worse than the unionized chains in those states increasingly competitive markets.In Maryland, from March 1993 to April 1994 there was almost no difference between Food Lion and the unionized chains of Safeway, Giant, and Magruder's in finding of out-of-date meat, dairy, or grocery products. But in other categories, such as distressed food, unsanitary equipment, and vermin problems, Food Lion compared favorably. Food Lion stores in Maryland out-performed the three unionized chains in all three categories. The combined number of incidents per store for the three categories (Distressed food, Unsanitary Equipment, and Vermin) was [(u)= unionized chain]:Inspection Report on Food Lion & Unionized Grocery Chains in Maryland, 1993-1994======================================================Supermarket Chain(Best to Worst Number of Incidents per Store)Distressed Unsanitary VerminFood Equipment Problems Total1. Food Lion 0.04 0.63 0.08 0.752. Giant (u) 1.80 3.78 0.23 5.813. Safeway (u) 1.13 4.80 0.30 6.234. Magruder's(u) 4.00 12.00 0.25 16.25As you can see Food Lion was nowhere near the safety threat CUE made them out to be. CUE could have alerted Congress, State and local governments, the Food and Drug Administration, and the media that unionized grocery chains performed far worse than nonunion Food Lion. But it didn't.Beginning with the ABC news segment, the UFCW has been very effective in getting the media to report its "findings" uncritically. The Washington Times editorial board is one of the few media outlets that accurately portrayed the CUE "study" as a biased attack on the Food Lion chain and part of the UFCW corporate campaign.For years, professional consumer groups have associated them-selves with a plethora of ideological causes. In doing so, they frequently ally themselves with labor unions that share their deep-rooted enmity towards business and free enterprise. Thus, it is really no surprise that the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the National Consumer League (NCL) are clearly on record against Food Lion. Both joined in CUE's condemnation of the Food Lion chain. Both issued separate press releases in the spring of 1994 to endorse CUE's "study". Strangely enough, NCL board member Odonna Mathews holds the position of Vice President for Consumer Affairs at unionized Giant Foods, and Carol Tucker-Foreman, a former CFA board member, is married to a UFCW Vice President.In conclusion, corporate campaigns could be described as predatory unionism. The purpose of the "campaign" is to drive up the costs and prices of nonunion firms or to drive them into bankruptcy. Grocery unions cannot succeed much less survive if there are lower-priced, nonunion stores in the same market. This makes it imperative that, at the very least, grocery prices be raised at nonunion stores. Unions must disguise this anti-consumer tactic by arguing that better service for consumers requires higher costs. Consumer activist front organizations, such as "Consumers United with Employees," are key elements in this strategy.Source Information:Organization Trends "Labor Unions & 'Consumers United with Employees': The Corporate Campaign Against Food Lion" November 1995 CRC Senior Fellow Thomas J. DiLorenzoProfessor of Economics, Sellinger School of Business & Management Loyola College, Baltimore, MD