Thread by @MarkOneinFour

Alright John. You do know that big supermarkets don't work the same as little shops? Telling your supermarket you want more UK produce isn't the same as the supply chain existing for it, as you well know. Wholesale foodmarkets are great, but they supply yer smaller shops

https://twitter.com/johnredwood/status/1353373513080573952

And yes, I know shorter supply chains are better for the environment, but they aren't what we have now, not really. A 'buy british, I'm backing Britain' movement isn't going to change the lack of supply of goods in shops if there's no infrastructure to supply them

Supermarkets aren't going to let shelves go empty. But they can't buy british produce to sell if that produce isn't there. You can't just expand production. The raw materials grow, you know. Expansion in product making isn't the same as greater utilisation of grown product either

Will we buy more british produce? Yeah, I reckon so, especially if there's nowt else to buy. But british production isn't just going to click into providing what is uneconomical to purchase and process right now. Food traditionalism isn't the same as a healthy food economy

We've made the shift from being part of a massive, harmonised food production and distribution block to being an island which will either be casting further afield for supply or trying desperately to keep food prices from rising at the same time as industry stagnates

It'd be lovely to think that just buying some butter with a union jack and a geordie cow on the wrapper will solve this problem but it won't. Organic and short supply chain stuff has always been a reality more in comfy shires than on the underheated, underpaid breadline

"Whey aye bonnie lad, my butter is udderly belter' will make a lovely James Dyson / Yeo Valley type good news story about the british food economy but it's not going to solve our problem. But then it'll be craven consumers to blame, won't it, for not worshipping british parsnips