Dominic George: Threat is a despicable act of treachery

Golden Shears open shearing final winner Gavin Mutch (right) holds the trophy aloft, with 16-time victor David Fagan.

Well, it was shaping up to be a dull week until news of the 1080 scare broke and Jamie Mackay had Ken Ring on the Farming Show.

The former has implications for us all and is a despicable act of treachery. Whoever's responsible for the threat, real or not, may view themselves as some sort of heroic eco-warrior but quite simply they're twisted b******s. Aside from the obvious point that poisoning baby food is up there with the likes of genocide, the other threat is the one that is posed to our international reputation and economy.

It's already taken the odd hit over the past few years, and we've already seen the NZ dollar drop by half a US cent at the time of writing in the immediate aftermath of the news. Economists are saying it doesn't appear it will suffer any lasting damage, likewise with the dairy sector, but I'm slightly concerned all the same.

Agricultural exports make up 50 per cent of our export earnings and 12 per cent of our total GDP. The dairy industry is a $15 billion behemoth and therefore affects us all no matter what we think about it. Anything that's hazardous to my future prosperity, I view very grimly. Next week's Global Dairy Trade Event will shed more light on the impact of this lunacy and what the reaction of the Chinese in particular will be. Here's hoping it's a similar reaction to the botulism scare where there were no long-term impacts on the dairy sector.

On a lighter note, it was a fine effort by Gavin Mutch in winning the Golden Shears over the weekend in Masterton. In doing so, he beat the favourite, David Fagan, who's about to hang up the handpiece after the New Zealand Championships in Te Kuiti next week. Mutch is a Scotsman who speaks in an Andy Murray-type drawl, although he sounds a bit more likeable than the dour tennis star.

Although, Murray did display a rare bout of joviality this week when he accidentally stitched up Davis Cup teammate Dominic Inglot in an interview after their victory over the US. He was asked what they would do to celebrate, to which Murray replied his mate had "a little girlfriend on the go over here so maybe he'll celebrate with her". Inglot's disbelief was palpable as he covered his face and mouthed the "f" word. The video clip shows Murray prompting Inglot to reveal the name of said girl, to which the poor chap replied "you've actually landed me in this". Apparently, he has a girlfriend at home who likely tuned into the broadcast. Oops. That was uncomfortable.

The blood drained from the face of the hapless Inglot as he contemplated what lies he could come up with to fool the said girlfriend back at home. (As one well-known New Zealand broadcaster has been known to say, even in the face of the most incriminating evidence, "deny, deny, deny".) Meanwhile, Murray's almost doubled over weeping tears of hilarity. Ahh ... the Scots. An unusual breed. Growing up in Dunedin, the Edinburgh of the South, every occasion is marked with a kilt, some tartan and a dram, while the most revered city forefather, an Ayrshire ploughman turned bard, Robbie Burns, never even set foot in the place.

I find the history of the Scots fascinating. Many farming families can trace their roots back to emigrating Scots, so their history is quite pertinent to this country.

Some historians agree they effectively invented the modern world of capitalist democracy, the impetus for which was based on widespread education. But it wasn't all stoic determination and enlightened thinking. As Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh points out in his review of Arthur Herman's book, Scottish Enlightenment; The Scots' Invention of the Modern World, there is compelling evidence of the Scots' darker role in the likes of slavery and racism, especially in the formation and development of the Ku Klux Klan. Welsh states the Klan was actually formed by defeated Scottish Confederate officers in the south. Furthermore, the "order of the horse" oath ceremony recited by the KKK comes straight from Highland custom, as does the burning cross.

You'd expect Andy Murray to be slightly more vivacious in his demeanour. Incidentally, I wonder what sort of punishment the Scots would have handed out to those who threatened to poison baby food?