Last night government defeated amendments to the #AgricultureBill which would have safeguarded our world leading #food & #farming standards.

Many @Conservatives MPs pledged to wear the wheatsheaf & #BackBritishFarming last month - inc my own.

A hollow & meaningless gesture.
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 -

@neil_parish @Simon4NDorset @GeorgeFreemanMP @DrNeilHudson @JulianSturdy @SirRogerGale @Douglas4Moray @carolinenokes Teresa Villiers
And thanks to @Minette_Batters for her tireless campaigning on behalf of 🇬🇧 #food & #farming. Nobody could have raised this issue higher.

But voters care about this, which means it isn’t going away. And the moral high ground is a very comfortable place to stand.
As a British farmer I’m proud of the part I play in our society, providing safe, nutritious food & stewarding our landscape & environment.

That’s a compelling vision, which is why in the end it’s government, not our food standards, which will be defeated.
Finally, check how your MP voted last night. Ask them to justify it. While looking you in the eye.

votes.parliament.uk/Votes/Commons/…

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More from @JoeWStanley

6 Oct
Government Ag policy has drifted into unreality.

A thread ⤵️

1/
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.

2/

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8…
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.

3/
Read 11 tweets
2 Oct
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.

1/8 Image
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.

2/8 ImageImage
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 🍽

3/8 Image
Read 8 tweets
14 Jun
Distillation of the ‘free trade at all costs’ argument from @rcolvile in today’s Times.

There’s so much wrong with this argument in 2020 it’s hard to know where to begin, but let’s have a go...1/ Image
The economic right is obsessed with the historical example of the Corn Laws repeal (1846) as if that proves their every argument.

Trading historical vignettes, what about the near-catastrophic free market approach to food adopted pre-1914 & 1939?

2/
This was predicated on the imperial arrogance that ‘we are a rich nation & others will feed us’ by exploiting their workforce & land, not ours.

This view is back with a vengeance in 2020; financial services are in, farming is out. But you can’t eat money.

3/
Read 13 tweets
11 Jun
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]

fginsight.com/news/news/farm…
Indeed, only 12 months ago @DefraGovUK SoS Eustice was passionately arguing that:

“unless 🇺🇸 meets 🇬🇧 standards, it can join the back of the queue on trade.”

It was a @Conservatives manifesto commitment to maintain these standards [2/3]

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Yet it’s increasingly clear that, despite a lack of any public support for the policy, a bad trade outcome for food is on the cards.

Luckily, it can be stopped: if you care about the food on your plate, sign the @NFUtweets petition today 👏 [3/3]

countrysideonline.co.uk/back-british-f…
Read 4 tweets
6 Jun
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] Image
British #farmers produce your food to some of the highest standards of animal #welfare, environmental #sustainability & #safety in the 🌍

Many of these are 🇪🇺 standards. With #Brexit we are now free to alter them. But what does this mean? [2]
So domestic production standards are set to rise even higher, which is great (who doesn’t want quality?)

But govt looks set to conclude new trade deals with countries such as 🇺🇸 which would allow food imports which it would be illegal to produce here [3]

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8…
Read 10 tweets
8 Mar
A positive thread on the need for #aspiration for the #future of our #food & #farming industry...

🚜 🐓 🐄 🐑 🍎 🥦 🌾 🌳 🐝

[1/9] Image
FARMERS 👩‍🌾

We’ve a lot to be #proud of in 🇬🇧 - but we can #aspire to #better.

More productive. More tech-savvy. More collaborative. More environmentally proactive.

Change is coming. We have to embrace it & lead the #change. Consumers respect us - that’s a big asset ✅

[2/9] Image
FARMERS, II 👩‍🌾

With #NetZero we have to step up. It will be difficult; hard decisions will have to be made. But we must show #leadership.

We can’t complain about the consequences of #ClimateChange if we don’t play our part.

And only Ag can act as a carbon sink 💨 🌱

[3/9] Image
Read 9 tweets

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