We don't need our farmers and fishermen

growstuff just imagine!
Perhaps one of these ultra-clever people will be able to invent a printing machine to print carrots, onions and apples etc too.

You may have to change your username.

I can believe the imports at the beginning, but where did it all come from after that?

That's why they had all those transatlantic convoys, Fennel, to protect the ships bringing in food imports.

Don't forget, too, that food was in short supply and rationed. Only crucial foodstuffs, such as cereals were imported (at a huge cost in lives) No-one saw any bananas for 6 years...

There’s a very interesting article in the Guardian on the possible end of farming. It proposes that in a few years much of our food will be grown in warehouses.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/25/the-end-of-farming-rewilding-intensive-agriculture-food-safety?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Growstuff wrote
"We didn't feed ourselves in WW2. At the beginning of WW2, the UK imported 70% of its food. It continued importing food, fuel and raw materials throughout the war".
I didn't know that.
I can believe the imports at the beginning, but where did it all come from after that?
Even so our population has increased massively since then, about 40 million in 1940, 67 million approx. today.

This article about "Singapore-on-Thames" was written last year:

blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2019/08/12/boris-johnsons-real-agenda-the-singapore-scenario/

There are many others and would appear to be on the agenda, which some of those pesky experts were saying even before the referendum.

''BJ is a proven liar. Why should anyone believe a word he says?''

to be honest, I think even his most ardent supporter is beginning to realise this- but just cannot admit it ...

I identify as Scottish , British and European and I feel a great sense of loss that my European identity has been diminished because of the fraudulent referendum of 2016 and the way that the enemies of our country have orchestrated events since then.

What is National Identity? Which nation to you identify with?

BJ is a proven liar. Why should anyone believe a word he says?

Johnson promised farmers they would be supported to the tune of EU subsidies if we left. Now is is totally going back on his word- as he has done with every word he has ever given- and ensuring our exporting markets will be closed because of no checks and no alignment.

And still, some here, and all over UK- still say 'wait and see' and 'Boris will save the day' - beyond belief.

Mind you, if this article is true, I might start eating worms:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/02/chlorinated-chicken-foods-us-trade-deal-uk-eu

It sounds really yucky!

The UK has not been self-sufficient in food production for hundreds of years.

We didn't feed ourselves in WW2. At the beginning of WW2, the UK imported 70% of its food. It continued importing food, fuel and raw materials throughout the war.

Since 45% of our trade (in 2018) was with the EU , it should be obvious that we need to continue to conform with EU standards.

If the govt. were unable to get the trade deals they hope for, with the EU, the USA etc, and food imports became too expensive, could we feed ourselves from the produce of the UK? As we did during WW2.?

If the UK doesn't align itself with EU food standards, we're going to have to employ 50,000 extra customs staff, according to Michael Gove. I don't know how much customs staff earn, but assuming it's about £30k with on costs, that works out to £1.5 billion a year.

I see a big U-turn on the horizon.

Not really! I don't live much above sea level and we haven't had any serious flooding. People make loads of money round here from sitting behind computer screens and developing IT and pharma stuff.

PS. I'm not being serious, but the idea has been mooted before.

They'd have to be sitting on high ground.

Callistemon Just think how much could be saved on flood prevention, if there were no farms, and all the UK's income came from people sitting behind a computer screen!

The idea of turning the UK into a Singapore-type of economy isn't new. Douglas Carswell (remember him?) wrote a book about it a few years ago.

From an economic point of view, fishing and agriculture only produce a tiny percentage of GDP. If you're sitting in an ivory tower and theorising, it makes sense to use our resources for services and knowledge businesses, which make a far greater contribution to the economy and, arguably, are a more efficient use of our labour and land resources. We can always import all our food from the US, where they have loads of land!

It's all nonsense, of course. Politically, it's totally unacceptable and Johnson must know that. He's going to have to backtrack, which will probably mean allowing more seasonal foreign workers. He's playing games, not only with the EU, but with his own hard line backbenchers and those who voted for him. All the time, he has to be seen to be delivering Brexit, to save his own position.

Farmers voted for Brexit and no doubt voted for this government. What did they expect?

The head of the National Farmers' Union lashed out today at a government aide who said the industry isn't "critically important".

NFU president Minette Batters said the comments were "completely out of touch" after the Treasury advisor said Britain could simply import its food like Singapore.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/farming-chiefs-fury-after-government-21608746

Yes, I mentioned this on another thread Greta but it is worth a thread of its own.

Who are these people?
Where do they find them?
Do the Government take their advice seriously?
And do they live normal lives or are they machines?
Can they be reprogrammed?
Just how stupid do you have to be to become Government adviser?

That does sound facetious but I astonished by the sheer unrealistic naivety of such people. And very
It is frightening that he is advising the new Chancellor.

They should be spending more draining ditches, dredging rivers and channels so that farms do not get flooded, as many crops are not being sown due to the waterlogged fields. And reassuring farmers that they will support them in producing food for the nation post-Brexit.

Old enough to know better, MOnica.

Clearly of the Minford school of economists

Not that old! DS was born in 1971.

Followed the link and was horrified to discover he is a Lib Dem supporter.

I will have to vote for the Monster Raving Loony party in the next election