French farmers certainly know how to put on a show. They have been burning tyres, and trucks filled with tomatoes and wine arriving from Spain, while thousands of tractors have been clogging up motorways across France.
I wonder if there are tricoteuses wielding their knitting needles as they did when watching heads roll from the guillotines. Maybe that is taking things a bit far but who knows whose heads will roll now.
The farmers are angry about the bureaucracy and huge costs due to Net Zero regulations being proposed by Brussels. They also resent the EU insisting on an open trading market within the bloc while the European Commission is about to sign a trade deal with South American countries which will open the flood gates to imports at prices they believe will savagely undercut French produce.
Last week as we celebrated the fourth anniversary of Britain leaving the EU, French newspapers scathingly reported a ‘dodgy’ poll which claimed only 22 per cent of the British believe that departing the EU was a good thing.
Since 2016 the UK has grown faster than Germany, Italy, and Japan and at a similar rate as France. Our services exports are at a record-high, and the International Monetary Fund predicts that between 2024 and 2028 the UK will see the third-fastest growth in the G7 – stronger than France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The UK has also regained its sovereignty, what is there not to like about Brexit?
Watching what is happening across the EU would anyone really regret leaving what is increasingly looking like a sinking ship?
There are those who suggest British farmers should also take to the streets. A poll published in last week’s Farmers Weekly suggests 61 per cent of those questioned do support staging French-style action.
There are certainly many problems which we face, including government policy, but unlike France and other European countries where farmers have closer ties with their urban cousins, we do not enjoy such support as the divide and understanding between town and country becomes increasingly wide.
British farmers are frustrated by the low prices they receive for their produce while retailers enjoy record profits. Amongst other issues, they are increasingly concerned by the lack of political support and understanding of the issues by successive governments.
The shift in emphasis and financial support from food production to environmental packages is a concern, which is increasingly being noticed by the public, who are asking why local farmers are making some noticeable changes.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is resulting in significant areas of arable land being taken out of food production as farmers look to replace the Single Farm Payment with the SFI options. Considering the unhelpful weather conditions we have been coping with - we had our worst harvest ever last year - this is hardly surprising.
Yes, we could take to the streets, but can we be sure that except for farmers, anyone really cares.
I wonder if there are tricoteuses wielding their knitting needles as they did when watching heads roll from the guillotines. Maybe that is taking things a bit far but who knows whose heads will roll now.
The farmers are angry about the bureaucracy and huge costs due to Net Zero regulations being proposed by Brussels. They also resent the EU insisting on an open trading market within the bloc while the European Commission is about to sign a trade deal with South American countries which will open the flood gates to imports at prices they believe will savagely undercut French produce.
Last week as we celebrated the fourth anniversary of Britain leaving the EU, French newspapers scathingly reported a ‘dodgy’ poll which claimed only 22 per cent of the British believe that departing the EU was a good thing.
Since 2016 the UK has grown faster than Germany, Italy, and Japan and at a similar rate as France. Our services exports are at a record-high, and the International Monetary Fund predicts that between 2024 and 2028 the UK will see the third-fastest growth in the G7 – stronger than France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The UK has also regained its sovereignty, what is there not to like about Brexit?
Watching what is happening across the EU would anyone really regret leaving what is increasingly looking like a sinking ship?
There are those who suggest British farmers should also take to the streets. A poll published in last week’s Farmers Weekly suggests 61 per cent of those questioned do support staging French-style action.
There are certainly many problems which we face, including government policy, but unlike France and other European countries where farmers have closer ties with their urban cousins, we do not enjoy such support as the divide and understanding between town and country becomes increasingly wide.
British farmers are frustrated by the low prices they receive for their produce while retailers enjoy record profits. Amongst other issues, they are increasingly concerned by the lack of political support and understanding of the issues by successive governments.
The shift in emphasis and financial support from food production to environmental packages is a concern, which is increasingly being noticed by the public, who are asking why local farmers are making some noticeable changes.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is resulting in significant areas of arable land being taken out of food production as farmers look to replace the Single Farm Payment with the SFI options. Considering the unhelpful weather conditions we have been coping with - we had our worst harvest ever last year - this is hardly surprising.
Yes, we could take to the streets, but can we be sure that except for farmers, anyone really cares.
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