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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To say that every one of us needs to watch last night’s Dispatches on Ch4.

239 replies

NellyJames · 13/10/2020 11:12

Just finished watching this. I knew it was bad but not this grim. Eye opening even for me. I knew about the meat but not the fruit and veg. And apparently the trade deal will only benefit the UK economy by less than 1%!
mobile.twitter.com/C4Dispatches/status/1315651199631319045?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

OP posts:
MagicSummer · 13/10/2020 12:53

Surely the British meat will still be labelled as such?

pigsDOfly · 13/10/2020 12:55

Surely the British meat will still be labelled as such?

Probably not if we do a deal with the US and they insist that country of origin is not allowed to be shown.

diplodocusinermine · 13/10/2020 12:57

Also this - on The Food Programme on R4 on Sunday:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ndb8

Clavinova · 13/10/2020 12:57

the EU won't [let] anything out of the UK into their food chains if that happens.

European Parliament 2019;

"Under CETA, food imported into the EU from Canada has to conform to EU food safety rules."

"Canada imports food from countries—the United States being one— which do not impose labelling and traceability requirements for GM food."

"How can Canada give the necessary guarantees?"

"Canada has affirmed that only products complying with EU provisions are exported to the EU."

www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-8-2019-000804_EN.html
www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-8-2019-000804-ASW_EN.html

DorisLessingsLesson · 13/10/2020 13:00

This isn't just a Brexit problem. When the Brexit referendum occurred the EU was committed to TTIP which also meant opening markets to the US. YY between Trump and the EU they have currently stepped back from TTIP but that wasn't the case when the Brexit vote happened.
The US has been pushing this for a long time from every side. Arguably the only way we could have stopped it is if we had a HOC willing to vote to protect our standards.

SerendipityJane · 13/10/2020 13:00

@MagicSummer

Surely the British meat will still be labelled as such?
Why ? It would be the work of a pen to slide a clause into any US-UK "deal" that the UKs food labelling cannot specify country of origin.

What then ?

Bearing in mind it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that any activist attempts to disseminate information on the origins of meat could be subject to criminal sanctions. Or have folk forgotten how litigious MacDonalds were in the McLibel trial in the 90s (that they lost).

Krankie · 13/10/2020 13:03

It was a shocking I agree, people need to watch it.

To the vegetarians, the programme also went into detail on the (potentially cancer causing) chemicals pumped into US fruit and veg which are not allowed in the U.K. food currently. So this wasn’t just about meat.

It also raised the issue that U.K. farmers may not survive due to the low prices of US produce, they just won’t be able to compete.

Arrivederci · 13/10/2020 13:03

And according to Caroline Lucas the government has just voted against safeguarding of food standards in trade deals 🤷‍♀️

mobile.twitter.com/carolinelucas/status/1315755708919541761

Clavinova · 13/10/2020 13:05

Butcher in Scotland selling meat from the US now;

www.johndavidsons.com/product-search?keywords=us

WokesFromHome · 13/10/2020 13:16

Surely you can find out where your meat is from?

SerendipityJane · 13/10/2020 13:20

@WokesFromHome

Surely you can find out where your meat is from?
Not if there's a law against it.
BiBabbles · 13/10/2020 13:20

The US has a lot of disgusting practices in the food chain, from industrial processes that raise the risks of these diseases to known child labour and other horrible labour practices. It is in produce as well, not just meat. As more farms come under corporate control, the less human or any other animal welfare has mattered.

It's very concerning. How much will end up in the UK I think is still pretty up in the air, but as the US refuses to take part in so many other international standards so far, I'm not holding my breath that their laws on the topic will change soon. It'll more depend on if the UK is tired of bending over for the US.

You mean a deal done by a Prime Minister who was a US citizen until a few years ago?

And there are thousands of other Americans-by-birth who relinquished citizenship over the years. His former citizenship doesn't say anything else about him or his ties to the US, unless you want to throw everyone else who has done the same under the bus - including others who left as young children as Johnson did or were never on US soil but had a parent born there, but have since had bank accounts & other financial products closed because of nationality or had to choose between their citizenships and keeping their businesses, jobs or homes. Johnson was probably far more protected than most Americans abroad, but he paid and got out like thousands of others with far less and probably far more ire towards the US.

NoGoodPunsLeft · 13/10/2020 13:23

@VinylDetective

If this is the case, surely the answer is to only buy meat that does state the country of origin? Or stop eating it altogether, which would be my preferred option.
It isn't only going to affect meat though.
VenusClapTrap · 13/10/2020 13:26

I shall be sticking to buying my meat from the local farm shops. But I can afford to do that; it’s expensive - plenty of people can’t. Plus plenty of people really don’t care as long as their food is cheap, so it won’t change anything. It’s enormously depressing.

NellyJames · 13/10/2020 13:26

I hadn’t even thought about the US insisting that products originating in the UK should also not be allowed to state country of origin.

That’s even worse.

And yes, all those chemicals on the apples and grapes. 🤢

OP posts:
user1471565182 · 13/10/2020 13:28

Yeah but sothrenty

oakleaffy · 13/10/2020 13:28

@thenightsky

The brexiteers wanted this and voted for this, so here we are.
I think the average Brexiteer was sold a lie.

''Take Control Of Our Borders'' and ''Millions of pounds more for the NHS.''

They forgot to mention the really bad downsides.

They are fuming now about the Illegals in Dinghies not being deported immediately.

Plus they didn't realise how generous EU subsidies could be for rural areas...Those will be lost.

A real cockup.

oakleaffy · 13/10/2020 13:30

@NellyJames

I hadn’t even thought about the US insisting that products originating in the UK should also not be allowed to state country of origin.

That’s even worse.

And yes, all those chemicals on the apples and grapes. 🤢

Shit.

Just eaten some grapes fresh from the punnet without washing them.

Won't do that again.

NoGoodPunsLeft · 13/10/2020 13:30

@WokesFromHome

Surely you can find out where your meat is from?
What about if your children have school dinners or you have to eat in hospital? Or prison?

Don't you eat in pubs/restaurants/cafes?

Clavinova · 13/10/2020 13:32

And according to Caroline Lucas the government has just voted against safeguarding of food standards in trade deals.

Caroline Lucas campaigned against CETA as well - that didn't stop the EU pursing a free trade deal with Canada;

^"COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC AND TRADE AGREEMENT (CETA)
MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
21/22 SEPTEMBER 2020 (BY VIDEOCONFERENCE)"^

trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2020/september/tradoc_158938.pdf

Thelnebriati · 13/10/2020 13:34

Which part of 'we are leaving the EU' do people not grasp?
Its not just the obvious food standards, its also production, packaging and labelling.
All of the human rights legislation is going. This is not project fear, this is what leaving the EU meant.

You voted for the get rich quick party that works for the immediate best interests of the very wealthy.
And I blame Labour as much as I do Tory voters. they should have walked the last election but they are too wrapped up in neoliberal identity politics to get their act together.

DateLoaf · 13/10/2020 13:36

I will watch it, what a bloody horrendous prospect this is.

SerendipityJane · 13/10/2020 13:36

Which part of 'we are leaving the EU' do people not grasp?

Well apart from Grant Apps (who doesn't seem to know either) we should all know that we left the EU earlier this year. Done and dusted.

WokesFromHome · 13/10/2020 13:36

I'm sure the branding will give it away and/or people will end up working it out and uploading info on which brands are American if this stupid law is passed. I don't think we will be eating their chicken or meat unaware. What are they going to do, pass it off with some British Farm like name or are they going to carry on as usual with their branding?

I will be using my butcher more and there is no way he will not tell me where his chicken is from and it is all local farms anyway.

Personally I will be doing my best to find out which products they are and avoid them like the plague. We have enough health issues in our country due to poor nutrition and obesity and the last thing we need is American junk piled on top of the nutritionally redundant crap we have on our shelves as it is.

To say that every one of us needs to watch last night’s Dispatches on Ch4.
baroqueandblue · 13/10/2020 13:36

Terrifying prospect, and making me really angry. Like millions of others I didn't vote for any of this, and now our food supplies will effectively be poisoned because so many of us can't afford the mark-up on unadulterated, safe meat, veg and dairy. Those twats in government must hate us and our children because they're actively supporting legislation that will play havoc with our diets and consequently our health. And they're also selling off the NHS to American investment in private healthcare, so they'll make us sick and then charge us to get treatment for the cancers and other side effects from the muck they put on our plates.

And if you think I'm exaggerating or being over-emotional, you're in denial. Thanks for that, because your denial of the sick reality of what's happening right under our noses is the problem. They couldn't get away with this if you woke the fuck up, and gave a shit.