Battered
Almost unnoticed last week the NFU had its annual conference. It is sometimes hard to feel sorry for a section of the country that voted so strongly for Brexit, based on the lie that they would get even more free tax payers money, with fewer forms to fill in.
But as Ukraine shows, basing a food policy on easy access to imported food is not a great idea at the best of times, yet this is what this Government is doing.
Farmers now a perfect storm of bad trade deals, government’s inane support schemes, amazingly stupid immigration policy, more red tape, and less money.
The pig industry is on its knees, horticulture could follow. Beef and sheep farmers face disaster from the trade deals already signed. God alone knows how bad the next lot of deals will be.
And Minette Batters, the NFU leader, after struggling with these and many other major issues is “repeatedly told by members of the UK government just to be more positive.”
With a shameless and heartless Home Office now offering safety and sanctuary to Ukrainian children only if their parents will pick fruit, we can see Brexit and this government for what they really are.
Unfortunately for the farmers and the rest of us that vision came too late.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.