Hysteria over supposed food shortages is unwarranted

From: Brian Johnston, Rigton Drive, Burmantofts, Leeds.

THE latest Brexit scare is the growing hysteria of supposed food shortages in the event of a no-deal exit on March 29. Our usually sensible food chains (all Remain) have joined the chorus which will only induce panicbuying by silly people, emptying supermarket shelves.

You don’t need a signed trade deal to actually trade with another country. It took Canada 10 years to strike a deal with the EU, meanwhile trade went on in the interim. We have no trade deal with the US, yet billions worth of trade flows over the Atlantic, so why not the EU?

Britain is unusual in the EU, being the largest importer, even though we have an efficient farming industry.

But the EU Common Agricultural Policy penalises the UK, dictating what produce we can import from the rest of the world.

Our supermarkets are full of fresh produce from outside the EU, but punished by high tariffs, to protect EU farmers, while at the same time, EU food prices are higher than the world average.

When we leave, we can negotiate our own bespoke deals (WTO or not), slashing prices and undercutting EU products. Bring it all on.

From: John Featherstone, St Peter’s Close, Brafferton.

THE article by Tony Rossiter (The Yorkshire Post, February 7) is one of the best describing succinctly the workings and benefits of the EU. It is a great shame more of this type of informative explanatory literature was not aired before we all voted in the referendum.

Some years ago, I was able to attend many university lectures entitled Britain and the EU. These described in detail the latter’s history, its composition, how it works and so on in great detail. Anyone attending the lectures appreciated the force for good the EU is, as Mr Rossiter suggests.

From: Phyllis Capstick, Hellifield.

I THINK that Donald Tusk, with his comments on ‘hell’, has just pressed the self-destruct button for the EU.

From: Ian Oglesby, Stamford Bridge, York.

NO EU deal can be agreed before we know if the trade arrangements on offer are worse than those of the WTO. Similarly, UK billions must be withheld until we can judge if future intentions are friendly or hostile.

We must never forget JeanClaude Juncker’s determination to try to show that the UK is worse off outside the EU.