Is the government trying to kill our farming industry?

[flashbac]

It seems the government are trying to kill our farming industry. Australia trade deal means flooding our market with cheap (low quality) hormone-fed beef raised on super farms. Zero quotas and zero tariff. We seemingly don't get anything in return.
The government are also consulting on exit payments (of OUR money btw) for farmers to leave the business. They says it's to encourage younger people to go into farming (yeah right).

What the hell is going on?

Well yeah, Brexit alone will kill a lot of it. They're also trying to destroy the NHS.

People are voting for them in their droves though, so what can you do?

But will the people want to buy cheap hormone fed beef? I certainly won't, I always buy British

Obvious consequence of Brexit.

In my view this government is trying to kill off anything we were once proud of, farming, NHS, BBC, tolerance... I could go on.

I can't bear this country any more. I can't go anywhere else (thanks for that, Brexit) so my best hope is to move to Scotland or Wales and campaign for independence, hoping for a more progressive government.

@Caselgarcia

But will the people want to buy cheap hormone fed beef? I certainly won't, I always buy British

How will you if the British farmers have been paid off and hardly any remain in the business? Any remaining niche suppliers will be selling at a very high premium.

@LauraLovesLemons

In my view this government is trying to kill off anything we were once proud of, farming, NHS, BBC, tolerance... I could go on.

I can't bear this country any more. I can't go anywhere else (thanks for that, Brexit) so my best hope is to move to Scotland or Wales and campaign for independence, hoping for a more progressive government.

But why though? Incompetent or by design? This is what I don't understand. We do know that Brexit was funded by nefarious sources so maybe the clue is in that...

80% of our Beef imports come from Ireland (EU), so I suspect the Irish may be a little more worried than the UK.

These are interesting stats:
The UK is 75% self-sufficient in Beef leaving us plenty room for producers to grow more beef for the home market
81% of beef sold in the UK is under the British logo, however Aldi, Budgens, Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrison’s and Waitrose all use 100% British Beef. Let’s hope the rest follow the trend!
The UK exported 84,789 tonnes of fresh and frozen beef in 2019. Exports are mainly to the EU. The UK imported 160,289 tonnes of beef in 2019.

Personally I am not sure that the big supermarkets will be looking to sell cheap Australian (or US) beef. They have chosen their market and will stick to it because that is what customers want.

Have a look at Ice Age Farmer on YouTube.

He's been following this for a few years. It's very worrying.Farming is being discouraged around the globe because there is going to be a new food system. There is already contracts and policy's in place.

I'm surprised this isn't been fought harder but Prince Harry and Cummings seem to be taking up most front pages. Minette Batters seems to be fighting hard but the Tory party seem to have abandoned agriculture - there are more Labour members voting against the current farming bill.

I cannot see why transporting frozen meat over 10000 miles fits in with our zero carbon aims. Let alone the quality of the meat (lower welfare standards, use of hormones, fewer regulations ref carbon zero on Oz farmers).

A nasty part of my mind says this is Brexiteering - look, we have a trade deal with a cherished part of the Commonwealth. Isn't that what everyone wanted?

And what happens to unused farmland? Not all of it can be rewilded, in line with green policies, so could it possibly be built on?

Yes it’s worrying but the best thing we can do as consumers is make sure we keep buying British and where possible buy from local butchers to show what is wanted

A lot of farmers voted for Brexit, and to use a farming based saying ' you reap what you sow'

I guess the farmers thought great leave the EU and then no more imported meat, we can charge a premium for our meat, happy days. Unfortunately their greed has backfired on them

@Sirzy

Yes it’s worrying but the best thing we can do as consumers is make sure we keep buying British and where possible buy from local butchers to show what is wanted

No everyone can afford locally reared, hand fed organic meat from the local butcher. Thats the preserve of the wealthy middle class

This is worrying for farmers. Politicians can say what they like and can enshrine food standards into law but unless there’s the resources to police and enforce it, it’s meaningless. Meat that doesn’t meet the UK’s high welfare standards already ends up in school and workplace canteens, hospitals, prisons. Big catering procurement contracts often have minimum standards for meat written into them but there are virtually no random checks for compliance because there is no well funded inspection team.

They don't actively want to destroy farming, they just don't care if they do.

I can't understand how they are so bloody high in the polls still, but they are.

Meat that doesn’t meet the UK’s high welfare standards already ends up in school and workplace canteens, hospitals, prisons. Big catering procurement contracts often have minimum standards for meat written into them but there are virtually no random checks for compliance because there is no well funded inspection team

I think this is because it comes/came from EU, and therefore no requirement to inspect/enforce regulations. Many EU countries have lower standards for meat production, but it passes because it's EU compliant. The horsemeat issue being one recent event of note. Meat products from outside EU were/are inspected. This is obviously all in flux now, and will undoubtedly change for better or worse over time.

There is a crisis in farming that has been on the horizon for years. the average age of a british farmer is now nearly 70 and therein lies the problem. too few young people with fresh ideas able to embrace new technology, marketing and products. too few farmers able to cope with the demands of online, form filling, applications etc. Most are just asset rich and cash poor with no one to pass on to so they just soldier on longer than they really should have done. Yes, a small minority of people (more on mumsnet) will only buy locally produced ethically farmed meat. but the vast majority of the public wont give a monkeys because all they want is cheap. Remember the Hugh F_W programme on cheap food?

It's nothing to do with brexit. It's happening globally.

@JamieFrasersAuntie

It's nothing to do with brexit. It's happening globally.

It is to do with Brexit, we walked away from a large high-standards market.

Nothing to do with Brexit. Bill Gates is buying up vast tracts of farming land. Doesn't want us eating meat. It's everywhere.

@BigWoollyJumpers you could be right, we will have to see how this plays out. If meat imports increase we will need more inspectors at the border to make sure our farm standards are not undercut. With a government intent on dismantling the state and “red tape”, I’m not hopeful.

It is to do with Brexit, we walked away from a large high-standards market

I think some of the standards aren't as high as you envisage and the choice on the shelves was far more limited than you'd find in a UK supermarket.

I'm not clear why 'theywould pay off the British farmers? If the the farmers want to produce beef and I want to buy it, why do'theyneed to pay the farmers off. And who arethey'?

It is nothing to do with brexit. Indian farmers have been protesting all year.

It's to do with a new global food system. It's all there on the world economic forum.

The "they" is the government and they are making out they are trying to get old, stuck in their ways farmers to make way for younger farmers who are more open to green technologies, but if that were really the aim why not just use the tax and subsidy systems to make green and sustainable farming more attractive. Paying farmers to retire is more likely to lead to fewer independent farmers and more large scale industrialised farming corporations.

The current government don't give a toss about farmers, fishermen or anyone else except themselves and their cronies.
If they sign a treaty it's a good headline.
The only thing that counts is reduced scrutiny of money passing through the London markets so those who need to launder their cash (I'm looking at rich Russians and Arabs) can do so without anyone poking their noses in. Outside the EU the banking sector can be deregulated.
Honestly I don't think that much thought goes into anything they do. So they aren't deliberately trying to ruin farming, they just don't think that far down the road. Boris is as surprised as anyone else.