http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/fear-of-a-wool-street-crash/2007/09/10/1189276635165.html
Fear of a wool street crash as farmers protest a.. Baa, humbug! An African woman herds a flock of sheep through the streets of Madrid to make a point, and to save their land from governments and developers intent on modernisation at any cost. PICTURE: AP Photo: AP AdvertisementAdvertisement Paul Hamilos, Madrid September 11, 2007 USUALLY it's the traffic jams, interminable roadworks and streets so tight that two cars can barely get through without losing a wing mirror that make driving in Madrid a challenge. On Sunday it was the sheep. As part of an annual protest calling for the protection of traditional grazing routes, Spanish farmers herded hundreds of sheep and other farm animals through the city centre. Thousands of kilometres of ancient paths, including some that traverse the capital, are supposedly protected by Spanish law to allow farmers to move their livestock from summer to winter grazing land. But just as the coastline has been devoured by property speculation, so have these farming routes. Alongside farmers from across Spain were nomads from Mongolia, India, Argentina, Kenya and Mali. They came with a universal message - that their land and livelihoods were in the hands of governments and developers intent on modernisation at any cost. The farmers argue that as populations become more sedentary and pastoral farming dies out, so does the land, causing desertification and dwindling food supplies. Batu Eerdun, from southern Mongolia, had made the trip to learn from other pastoralists and publicise the plight of nomadic farmers in his homeland. "The Chinese Government is taking our land," he said. "We are losing our great tradition of pastoral grazing." A group of Kenyan nomads explained that, while images of traditional farmers are used to publicise the country as a tourist destination, their rights to the land are steadily being eroded. "The Government does not respect our contribution to the economy," said Clement Isaiah. "We want them to give us our rightful place." Anna Muhale, from Tanzania, said her government's tourist policies were taking away grazing land from families that had farmed it for centuries. GUARDIAN [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
