Western Morning News

Sorry saga down to EU protection­ism

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SHOULD we be so surprised that the French are being so ‘bloodymind­ed’ about exporting our seafoods to them? And now the Dutch are at it by holding up our exports of pork, in the main destined for Germany. Anyone would think we have somehow changed the genetic codes of the same products they have been buying from us for the past 40 years or so.

Of course, picking on perishable goods gives them an ace up their sleeves. Our Government agreed to give the EU countries a six-month grace period before enforcing our customs regulation­s. Such a shame that no reciprocal goodwill is being displayed by them.

The directive must be coming from Brussels, so what other surprises are in store for us from ‘Laboratoir­e Barnier’?

I’m sure their ultimate aim is to get our trawlers to land their catches directly to European ports, where they would be allowed in ‘on the nod’ at higher prices, leading to the decimation of UK fishing ports and therefore sowing dissent to embarrass the UK government.

I believe the whole business is down to EU protection­ism. Our fresh goods, whether fish or meat, are being exported at a cheaper price through farming efficiency than on the continent. You’ve only got to look at the prices and quality of meat in European supermarke­ts to bear this out.

The Common Agricultur­al Policy is basically there to subsidise French farmers, so anything the ‘Masters’ in Brussels can do to disrupt or discourage our fresh food exports suits their protection­ist mentality, which they didn’t have when we were in the customs union.

I notice our supermarke­ts have no shortage of European fresh foods, flowers and wines on their shelves, so perhaps now is the time for us to support British food producers in the national interest.

The French public, farmers and wine producers will soon be up in arms against their own government when they realise that their subsidised exports are no longer in demand on the same scale as in the past. To quote the words of Lord ‘Bomber’ Harris in World War Two against another European regime... “They sowed the wind and now they’re going to reap the whirlwind!”

Edward Kynaston Lydney, Gloucester­shire

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