Tate & Lyle Sugars joins campaign to leave EU

[Winterbiscuit]

Gerald Mason, senior vice president of Tate & Lyle Sugars which is one of the UK's oldest firms, has written to staff saying that leaving the EU would benefit the business.

Tate & Lyle Sugars joins campaign to leave EU

"Mr Mason writes: "Last year EU restrictions and tariffs pushed our raw material costs up by nearly 40m euros (£31m) alone, turning what should have been a good profit that we would all share into a 25m euros loss.
'Not democracy'"

""We pay as much as 3.5m euros of import tariffs to the European Union on some of the boats of cane sugar that unload at our refinery, only for the European Union to then send that money to subsidise our beet sugar producing competitors in Europe.""

"Mr Mason said he has challenged EU officials about reforms, but been told "that if we lose our jobs then that's democracy because there are more beet producers than cane refiners in Europe. That is not the sort of democracy I want to be part of"."

[Auti]

Sweet

[Winterbiscuit]

The article above also quotes from entrepeneur Sir James Dyson's letter to The Times:

"I can confirm that we have no influence whatsoever in the shaping of Europe's protectionist laws and regulations. Believe me, we've tried."

"There is an entirely misplaced belief in the mythical powers of the single market and its influence and importance to the UK economy."

"It is simply untrue that Europe is the world's largest market. It represents only 16% of global trade - and its share is contracting according to the IMF."

"It remains a collection of smaller markets each with its own languages (Belgium has two), laws and cultures, with different plugs, boxes, and advertising."

"Britain's focus should be more on the rest of world, he adds, saying "we have nothing to fear by leaving"."

[Winterbiscuit]

Auti

[Spinflight]

Why is it always British firms that want Brexit and foreign owned ones who merely employ people here that fund the remain campaign to act as their mouthpieces?

Why should we be forced to listen to Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan propaganda or Toyota's wishes?

[Millyonthefloss2]

I've always loved their beautiful syrup tins. If we leave I will buy one on Saturday and make flapjacks.

[smallfox1980]

Can I ask please, why is it that when a your stance is backed by someone you immediately start with the appeals to authority?

If you look here:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36592782

A huge number of business leaders have come out and backed remaining?

But I guess your going to attack them for having vested interests or being biased.

Confirmation bias is rampant here.

[Millyonthefloss2]

But I guess your going to attack them for having vested interests or being biased. Yes! And even worse - they have been bribed. An old school friend of mine is now the chairman of a financial services company. He was offered an honour if he publicly backed remain and increased scrutiny from the Financial Services Authority if he did not. This will all come out if Osborne goes.

[BreakingDad77]

they rubbing there hands as with all that nasty employment red tape being planned to be cut and if as leave get free trade with commonwealth will be able to move lock stock and barrel out of the UK.

[smallfox1980]

Milly, but you have used an article which quotes James Dyson, who not only moved his manufacturing business to Malaysia in order to lower his costs which obviously shows how much he backs Britain, but also actually also wanted us to joint the euro.

Its rather facetious to think that all of the executives 1, 280 of them, have been bribed in order to say that we are better off remaining. You old school chum I'll have to take with a pinch of salt too.

One or two businesses coming out in support of leaving does not trump the majority stating that they would prefer to remain. Shouting vested interest devalues your argument because it shows that you are attacking anything that disagrees with you, whilst casting around for anything that backs your post, confirmation bias defined and therefore your analysis is tremendously flawed.

[BreakingDad77]

For bad and generally worse

(I hate the banks and the toothless tories and nu-labour govs who have let the high pay and bonus culture continue and cause recessions)

but the UK's business is Finance, and according to wikipedia we have the world biggest financial sector, so obviously they have an interest in staying as much as manufacturing has in leaving.

[IamSlavetotheEU]

"make flapjacks"

Interesting

interesting article.

[smallfox1980]

But what manufacturers are interested in leaving breaking dad? One of our largest exports is cars and the car manufacturers have all stated that their preference is to remain? So have Airbus and BAE.

[BreakingDad77]

I'm remain sorry if that hasn't come across previously, to me dyson etc just left the UK to get cheaper labour etc, and 'Blame the EU' is a cheap excuse to deflect anger. Which I see is the excuse for any others trying to leave, I like it that we have standards on toys, tools, equipment etc.

Have you ever bought anyhting direct from china and seen how rubbish quality it is.

[bacimamma]

"Yes! And even worse - they have been bribed. An old school friend of mine is now the chairman of a financial services company. He was offered an honour if he publicly backed remain and increased scrutiny from the Financial Services Authority if he did not. This will all come out if Osborne goes."

i am not surprised.

[bacimamma]

winter you deserve a holiday after today's relentless brexit campaigning.

[bombayflambe]

Tate and Lyle dumped the UK farmers years ago. We should all be using Silver Spoon British beet sugar anyway. Harrumph.

[Winterbiscuit]

Thanks, but I'm not a campaigner bacimamma.

[smallfox1980]

Just someone with a lot time on their hands apparently.

[PresidentOliviaMumsnet]

If you have any concerns about any posters, please do report so we can take a look behind the scenes -
Thanks ever so

[cakeythings]

But it's not British In October 2010, American Sugar Holdings (ASR Group) acquired the EU sugar refining businesses of Tate & Lyle PLC, namely Tate & Lyle Sugars and Sidul.ASR, based in Yonkers, New York, owns and operates six cane sugar refineries across North America. Its brands include Domino, Florida Crystals and Redpath

[bacimamma]

Op is clearly passionate about brexit but thank you cake for clarifying that Tate & Lyle Sugars, one of the UK's oldest firms, has fallen into the hands of the global food industry and is intact no longer British owned. As they have also been paid to campaign for brexit according to a pp maybe their stance is less convincing. I wonder how some brands will be affected by all this once the vote has been cast.

[bacimamma]

*in fact not intact