It’s baffling that a 🇬🇧 govt is fighting tooth & nail to renege on its own manifesto commitment, sell out its farmers & inflict the dregs of the global food bargain basement on the poorest in our society. And for what? This? ⤵️
Massive respect & thanks to those dozen or so Conservative MPs who did vote to their conscience & honour their manifesto commitment, inc -
Brexit has ensured that no British government in memory has lavished so many warm words on its farmers, but the reality of policy discussions behind the scenes often seems far more ambivalent towards the future of a £122bn food & farming industry.
Ultimately, government’s plan for post-Brexit farming does not work.
Removing globally universal state support for food production, increasing domestic standards & opening markets up to unfair competition = a devastating triple whammy for 🇬🇧 farmers.
61% of the average English Farm Business Income derives from the CAP’s direct support - with huge variation across sectors.
From 8% in intensive poultry to a whopping 114% for mixed farming.
From 2021, government is withdrawing this direct support to £0 by 2027.
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This direct financial support (to be found in most countries) allows UK farmers to produce some of the world’s cheapest food to the highest standards of safety, welfare & environmental sustainability.
Essentially, it underwrites our cheap food system.
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To put it another way; arable (bread, cereals, beer) and grazed livestock (lamb, beef) farmers lose money on every tonne of grain or cow/sheep they produce (on average). Those who do both, lose the most!
But to this point, direct payments have kept the food coming 🍽
The battle over trade standards is political spin at its unedifying worst.
Nobody wants to see our high 🇬🇧 standards undercut, yet government is forced to tie itself in increasingly Gordian knots in an attempt to obfuscate & run down the clock [1/3]
There’s so much happening in 🌍 right now - including many tragedies - but farmers are asking you to lend your support to the campaign to protect 🇬🇧 food standards from being undercut in future trade deals.
Here’s why this is important & why you should care [1]