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

[NellyJames]

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

@Defenbaker
Now I find that we might be trading with a country that has even worse welfare and hygiene practices than mainland Europe, with pressure to stop labelling the country of origin on packaging - I really hope this doesn't happen.

You didn’t really think it through at all. Some people who voted Brexit had rather fantastical notions. As you basically acknowledge yourself, all you’ve effectively done is handed the Tories the power to make the UK less like Europe and much more like the US - the wet dream of the extreme right of the Tory Party (and useful idiots like Mr Johnson)

The most depressing thing is when I stop and think and realise it’s too fucking late. But It’s all ok because we’ve taken back control and my new passport is all shiny and blue.

@NellyJames

The most depressing thing is when I stop and think and realise it’s too fucking late. But It’s all ok because we’ve taken back control and my new passport is all shiny and blue.

You underestimate the mood of the British people and the farming industry

You underestimate the mood of the British people and the farming industry

They want lower food standards?

@derxa, I’m not sure what you mean. Are you saying all is not lost? I wish I could believe that. I’m still angry at Jo Swinson for voting for a GE last year. I think a people’s vote was within reach to end this madness. I’ve got to believe most people who voted for Brexit were duped because the alternative is that they were either Xenophobic, incredibly self centred, or just not very bright and I’d rather not think 52% of the country is like that.

Haven’t RTFT but I can imagine small letters “packed in” UK which might be misleading.

Shocking to see garlic from China which only comes out when you either read the label on shelf or ask the shop assistant.

‘You underestimate the mood of the British people’

My problem is I keep overestimating the British people. The Sun will run a front page saying ‘great news, you can now buy a whole chicken for £1.50!!’ and the majority of British will think it’s great.

@MintyMabel

You underestimate the mood of the British people and the farming industry

They want lower food standards?

Quite the opposite. Why would the farming industry want lower food standards?

@Tellmetruth4

Yep, one of these

Probably a good time to get into game. Personally I like rabbit, pheasant, pigeon, wild boar and venison.

Americans really seem to struggle with lamb too, so that might be safe in future.

🤮 yack! That’s horrific!

@SerendipityJane

Probably a good time to get into game. Personally I like rabbit, pheasant, pigeon, wild boar and venison.

Americans really seem to struggle with lamb too, so that might be safe in future.

Lamb is the most naturally produced meat in the country and I should know. The US doesn't produce a lot. The sheep farmers there tend to be small scale.

I work in retail and, trust me, we're fighting this tooth and nail.

is it very brutal?
I'm vegan already and pretty sensitive to seeing animal abuse. I am interested in it though. I guess this is what we wanted and it is what we've got,unfortunately.

@Flumpaphone

Lamb! Yes! Good thinking! The Americans I know always order lamb when they come to the U.K. because they can’t get it at home.

Sheep tend not to get factory farmed, unlike pigs and chickens, so I tend to feel better about eating them anyway. Of course someone will now come on here and tell me how awful their lives are...

@VenusClapTrap

Lamb! Yes! Good thinking! The Americans I know always order lamb when they come to the U.K. because they can’t get it at home.

Sheep tend not to get factory farmed, unlike pigs and chickens, so I tend to feel better about eating them anyway. Of course someone will now come on here and tell me how awful their lives are...

They are 'factory farmed' in countries like China.
In the UK a sheep's life mainly consists of standing in a field eating grass. Lambs suckle from their mothers and are weaned when they are mainly eating grass. Of course they go to the abattoir eventually.

@Lifeis10percent, there’s no footage of technical animal cruelty but lots of scenes of animals being kept in less than acceptable spaces, pens etc. There’s also quite a lot of carcass footage. But if you can stomach it, please watch. We all need to be more aware of what’s potentially coming.

@Derxa - you're the Brexiteer leave-voting sheep farmer as I recall, from the Westminstenders threads?

@crosstalk

Clearly one can avoid US meat if it's labelled. But what's the betting it's repackaged here? or mislabelled in markets? or simply turned into pies etc.

Haven't RTFT yet so may have been pointed out already but one of the US's stipulations in all of their trade deals is that mandatiry origin labelling must be stopped because the consumer knowing they are buying their low welfare, low hygiene, low quality agricultural products is "discriminatory" against their enormous farming companies.

I am shocked at the poster who said they are a Conservative voting Brexiteer but shocked by these low food standards. I mean they actually have a food standard dictating how many minced up insects and maggots can be in your food. Yuck. None of this is new. The US were furious at EU regulations protecting their consumers from this and right from the start made it clear they expect to feed this disgusting stuff to UK consumers or no trade deal.

A trade deal that BTW based on the UK Govt's own estimates might add 0.16% jn the long run to UK GDP if we are lucky. Rather than, you know, the 8% GDP that we are expected to lose long term from giving up EU membership.

Brexiteering is the realm of the ignorant, the innumerate, the xenophobic, the super-rich vultures and the plain crazy. Never spoken to one yet that doesn't fit into at least one of the 5 categories.

Flumpaphone
Outside the EU and with trade deals in place with say the US or, more crucially for the egg trade, Ukraine (signed this week), where a vast quantity of eggs are produced at much lower standards and a much lower price, there will be nothing to stop them hitting the uk market.

These eggs? EU-Ukraine Association Agreement;

"Part of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement was the possibility to import and export eggs and egg products without tariffs but with quotas. Since it entered into force, imports of eggs from Ukraine have increased from 163 tons in 2014 to 3,665 tons in 2015, then 8,043 tons in 2016, and 13,792 tons in 2018."

Derxa - you're the Brexiteer leave-voting sheep farmer as I recall, from the Westminstenders threads? Nope I'm the Remain-voting sheep farmer. I may have seemed like a leaver because I was always fighting farmer bashing. You can AS me if you like

Not going to read through a zillion past WM threads, but you certainly came across as a brexiter before you disappeared.

Live lobsters?
Brussels 21st August 2020;

"Joint Statement of the United States and the European Union on a Tariff Agreement." ...

"Under the agreement, the EU will eliminate tariffs on imports of U.S. live and frozen lobster products. U.S. exports of these products to the EU were over $111 million in 2017" ...

ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_20_1512

I’ve got to believe most people who voted for Brexit were duped because the alternative is that they were either Xenophobic, incredibly self centred, or just not very bright and I’d rather not think 52% of the country is like that.

But it’s proven. They voted again and again and again the same way. The opinion polls haven't really moved. Half of us actively want to be a poor, angry, racist, badly-educated, low-skilled shithole on the edge of Europe.