Plan to wreck British farms is beyond belief
I am totally gobsmacked at Government plans to potentially import potentially sub-standard meat products from the US in a proposed trade deal. Well done for highlighting this.
For many years, UK farmers have strived to improve the quality of grazing, feed and their treatment of animals. For this to be undone by a shocking trade agreement just beggars belief.
Our select breeds, farmland and farmers are unique and must be protected. By supporting Brexit, I thought that in some small way this is what I would be doing.
I am not against trade at all, as it is vital, but when we have some of the best, why diminish it?
The Government’s proposal is senseless and disappointing. Grace Jackson, Whittle-le-Woods, Lancashire
Congratulations to Sir Nicholas Soames for his excellent article on why we must resist US pressure to lower our standards. Let’s show real British independence! Michael Wynne-Parker, Hingham, Norfolk
A trade deal allows access to each other’s market, with the seller and buyer agreeing on terms. It doesn’t mean that one side will buy from the other regardless. The Americans may want to sell us chlorinated chicken, for instance, but it is up to us whether we buy it.
Retailers choose what they import, and consumers decide whether to buy those goods.
But many people buy cheap imported goods from cheap stores, then blame governments for letting their own producers go to the wall. P. Lacy, Nottingham
Farmers have reason to fear the Government bowing to the US, which has the potential to further destroy the farming industry here. Farmers must be protected from US products, which are subsidised and heavily dependent on antibiotics. Chaka Artwell, Oxford
You say we have 60 days to save British farms, but this might be easier than you think. I buy my chickens from a butcher who buys them straight from farmers. The skins on the birds aren’t smooth like those in supermarkets – there are a few feathers to pull out – but the taste is far better. Maria Edey, Coleford, Gloucestershire
The corona pandemic has dramatically highlighted how the destruction of UK manufacturing capability has led to the loss of thousands of lives, because we are totally dependent on supplies of PPE equipment from other countries. Now this Government is moving to do the same with our agriculture supply capability, with the possibility of importing cheap meat from the US, which is going to ruin our own farming industry. Where is the common sense in this proposal? J. Mulholland, Surrey
If only you could have illustrated your campaign with a picture of some of our native beef cattle, Red Ruby Devons, grazing the lush pastures of the West Country. Liz Yeandle, Dorset