Brexit 3

and buy British, local if possible

I always do #slow food movement

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/10/12/crisis-not-yet/

About the pound.

Sausages from local farm shop, potatoes from the garden, roasted peppers and tomatoes just 10 yards from the greenhouse and mushrooms - oh dear, from Waitrose.

As long as they were British, Jalima, it doesn't matter where you bought them!

I agree, buy as local as possible, I always look at the origins of fruit and veg I buy. I do buy tomatoes all the year round, and they seem to come from Spain at certain times of the year. I try to buy Italian lemons and Olive oil. I wanted to buy apples last week - couldn't find any local ones in my local supermarket - a lot were from New Zealand ! Surely this time of year we should have plenty of British apples? I can't believe we fly in produce from Egypt, Kenya, Peru etc and I don't buy it, though I'm sure the producers need the trade, I just feel it's too many air miles and there must be a need for this food nearer to their home.

The trouble is, the food flown in from Kenya etc, is giving the farmers etc a better standard of living than if we did not buy it.
However - whilst we import their food, many of them go hungry. It is such a dilemma.

Petra I totally agree re less but better quality food- and with others re local.

Have you seen the articles today about many Britsh staples being taken off the shelves due to controversy as to who should pick up the tab for extra cost due to low Sterling?

So many 'British' staples are now made abroad, and owned by massive multi-national companies (like Cadburys owned by USA Hershey, etc).

The food industry is also a minefield due to loopholes in regulations that allow bacon from pigs bred in Denmark and Holland to be labelled “British”. The animal can be born, reared and slaughtered abroad but it is perfectly legal to stick a Union flag on the product if the bacon is cured here. Agriculture Minister Jim Paice says: “We’re pushing Europe hard for more honest food labelling so consumers who want to buy British can be sure that’s what they’re doing.”

Another anomaly is “Lincolnshire sausages” that can come from anywhere in the world. But sausage makers in the county are fighting back by seeking protected geographical status for their bangers. If granted by the EU it would ban foreigners from making sausages masquerading as Lincolnshires. Neil Curtis, 52, a Lincoln butcher whose family has been making the real deal since 1828, says: “True Lincolnshire sausages are made using a traditional recipe and top quality ingredients including British pork and sage. They are part of the heritage of the county and that has to be preserved.”

Traditionally cheddar cheese was made within 30 miles of Wells Cathedral in Somerset but the dairy product can legally be made anywhere in the world. Study the label on your cheddar and you might find that it’s a bland, rubbery version from Ireland, Canada or even Belgium.

Much of the confusion over flags of convenience seems to originate when British companies are sold to new foreign owners who pay scant regard to our proud manufacturing history. A classic example is Cadbury, with its long tradition of confectionery making in the UK. Its chocolate, including Britain’s bestselling brand Dairy Milk, is still made in Bournville, Birmingham. However, following the controversial purchase of the company by American giant Kraft, if you fancy a Crunchie or Turkish Delight it will have been manufactured in Poland.

Whatever next, Smarties made in Germany? Well, yes, the popular tubes of sweets now roll off production lines in Hamburg after being made in York by Nestlé for 69 years.

Nothing is as quintessentially English as a cup of tea. Thomas Twining began selling tea from a stand in the Strand in 1706. But today although Twinings still packs tea here, in Andover, Hampshire, if you open one of those little sachets in your hotel room it will have been made in Poland after almost 300 British workers were sacked in an efficiency drive.

With its distinctive Houses of Parliament label surely nothing can be more British than HP sauce? Think again. Despite protests when the decision was announced by Heinz to move from Birmingham after 103 years, the product is now made in Elst in the Netherlands, When it comes to provenance, often all is not as it first seems.

Let's just hope it's not back to grey mince, boiled cabbage and jam roly poly. British food was not great back in the 1950s.

And not in the 70s either when I first moved to UK

Well, we didn't have that tonight.
Nor the jam roly poly with custard either, although that would have been nice.

I think I first tasted spag bol in about 1962 - it seemed very exotic.
Then I went to France and was offered horse meat.

Smarties were made by Rowntrees originally, not by Nestle.
Nestle have only been there since 1988.
It's a shame that all their production has gone to Germany.
I was told by someone who was building silos at the York factory that all the newbuild is easy to dismantle and move to the EU if necessary. That was ten years ago. I do not know what the factory is like now.

Even worse are York Fruits, made by Terry's, bought by Kraft, then made in Poland. They've come back to Yorkshire now, having been bought out by a company in Pontefract.

In 73 I lived in the Potteries and my neighbour discovered Spag Bol - she would always serve it with chips otherwise here husband would not have accepted it as a 'proper' meal - lol.

granjura the only reference I've seen about that is Tescos arguing about Ben & Jerrys ice cream. Well if you can't live without that, tough. We buy local ( rossies) and a Cornish ice cream.
As for grey mince, there's nothing that an oxo cube ( British made) and garlic ( British ) can't brighten up. Boiled cabbage, try frying it with bacon ( British)
If people start expanding their minds on this particular food issue, the possibilities ( business) and benefits are endless.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/lbc-leave-voter-name-eu-law-james-obrien-take-back-control-eu-referendum-a7356806.html

You need to listen to appreciate the embarrassment.

You're right, petra, a bit of imagination can work wonders.

And no, I haven't read anything about food staples being taken off shop shelves.

What about PG tips then or:

In different areas of the country a number of Unilever brands have sold out. They include Persil, Surf, Dove, Comfort, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Elmlea, Colman’s, Helmann’s, Marmite, Knorr, Bertolli, Flora, Comfort and Pot Noodle. The items are not available on the Tesco website.

Now I have -

Tesco is refusing to sell dozens of Unilever products on its website due to a row over price rises, according to reports.

The supermarket giant has apparently rejected a Unilever request to increase prices by up to 10% because of the fall in the value of Sterling.

So, just Unilever being greedy, and Tesco refusing to be blackmailed.

... and the customer trapped in between. Unilever is just the first - there are 1000s of brands and products which appear to be Brtish staples but are now foreign owned and produced. And wait for energy prices to follow suit- as such a large % are no foreign owned too.

Doom and gloom - well, yes.

10% is a big rise!

Whitewave 09.11

"170 questions -about time!!! It is now time for everyone to step up and defend the democratic process in parliament. Policy behind locked doors is for countries like Russia and North Korea not the UK"

I then mentioned the fact the EU Commission to which you say you do not understand the point I was making. Perhaps the link might help but I suspect you will not see the connection to your post but here goes.

www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-biggest-us-eu-free-trade-agreement-in-history-is-advancing-behind-closed-doors-10189919.html

The EU TTIP negotiations being 'behind closed doors' has I believe been mentioned a few times before on GN.

granjura 14.33

Has the EU demanded/imposed on Canada /USA for example the Free Movement of People? Obviously not as they are not members of the club, as the UK will no longer be members under the terms and conditions that apply now.

As for Switzerland and Norway my understanding is 'The Free Movement of People' is becoming a contentious issue , indeed many EU countries are not happy with the 'Free Movement of People' , or do you disagree.

'Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but the bilateral Free Movement of Persons Agreement has removed restrictions on EU citizens wishing to live or work in Switzerland. The citizens of Bulgaria and Romania will remain subject to restrictions until 31 May 2016 at the latest. Croatians are currently subject to a quota system.

In a referendum in February 2014, the Swiss voted to introduce quotas on EU migrants from 2017. Such quotas would violate the terms of Switzerland’s free movement treaty with the EU. In fact, the EU has so far refused to agree to Swiss quotas for EU migrants and has threatened to suspend other EU-Swiss bilateral agreements with the country if Switzerland unilaterally imposes quotas. The EU-Swiss free movement treaty is linked to agreements on technical barriers to trade, public procurement, agriculture, transport, civil aviation, and research by a so-called ‘guillotine clause’. This means they can only take effect together, and if one of the agreements is terminated the other six would cease to apply.

In theory, Switzerland can unilaterally impose the quotas. However, this is likely to 'provoke retaliation from the EU' which could result in reduced market access to the EU for Swiss firms. Ultimately, migration and trade are closely bound together in the Swiss relationship with the EU.

I am minded of the considered comment 'provoke retaliation from the EU'.

I will stick like glue to my thought the 'Free Movement of People' mantra/panacea/enshrinement in the EU need for 'Ever Closer Union' a 'Federal Europe' is now a stumbling block to sanity prevailing when it comes to membership and trade within and outside the European Union for countries such as Switzerland and the UK and others too where we see and hear voices of discontent , the UK had a vote however.

Is that as up to date as you can get on TTIP, POGS?

Bless.