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Reader’s take on UK farming today

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The 2015 Royal Highland Show, foregrounding the skills and production of Scotland’s agricultural sector, is in its closing day today, 21st June, at Ingliston near Edinburgh. Politicos from all parties  are there  – David Mundell MP, Richard Lochhead MSP, the Irish head of EU agriculture…  all giving interviews to TV and radio.

The big topics for Scotland are the new EU subsidies for the farming community. Those pesky EU bureaucrats have gone and made application for them  whole lot more complicated. Farmers will now have to fill them in online. Welcome to the 21st century.

The figures are staggering though. Total income to all Scottish farming is around £600 million a year – but £500 million of that is paid to them in EU subsidies – 83.3%. Now I don’t know about you but I’d love to run a business where 83% of my income is paid by the taxes of the many. [And France's farmers do even better.]

During the run up to the Indyref in Scotland, one of the most vocal groups supporting a ‘No’ vote was the farming community and the NFU. With £500 million at stake, that reason for that position is now obvious.

Now, again, the Scottish NFU are rallying the troops to support call-me-Dave Cameron and the UK Tory government in the forthcoming vote on EU membership.

Since World War II food security in the UK has been an issue. Why then, with all that money being paid for farmers to farm and produce food do we see around 250 Jumbo jet flights a day bringing fruit and veg into Britain?

Reader’s submission


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