Tied to EU tariffs

SIR – Staying in the customs union (report, April 24) not only prevents us from negotiating trade deals with other countries but also ties us to existing arrangements that the EU has in place, mainly to protect French farmers and German industry.

How many people know, for example, that they pay an EU tariff on butter from Australia or New Zealand of £1.50 per kilogram? Or £2 or £3 on a leg of lamb from those countries?

This tariff goes to the EU, not to the country of import. These are just some of the items subject to EU taxes which, if removed, would considerably reduce the cost of food in Britain.

Why is this not more forcibly pointed out by our Government? Bernard Howe

Rhu, Dunbartonshire