Shropshire Star

Deals a poor second

The Americans are keen to do a trade deal with us?

Published

Probably because their hyper-efficient farming industry will welcome new markets to sell into. A trade deal cuts two ways. It is not just us selling to them. We have to compete with their producers.

There is only one word for American farming and that is massive. Massive fields stretch to the horizon and massive numbers of massive machines harvest the crops.

The machinery goes on massive safaris from one end of the country to the other across climate zones which keep the equipment busy for most of the year saving costs.

We Brits are the favoured nationality for this work and are much sought after by the people who run the firms employed to do this.

The politicians in this country are selling us dud concepts. Look at Welsh lamb – 40 per cent is exported and 97 per cent of that 40 per cent goes to the EU. Those EU exports are protected from competition from the likes of Australia and New Zealand by a 35-40 per cent EU tariff wall keeping their product away from competition from UK farmers. After Brexit the UK will have to face those tariffs from the outside paying the tariff in order to sell to old customers.

What about the remaining 60 per cent that stays in the country. That is helped along by EU subsidies and as the Irish and Welsh can tell you these run up to 85 per cent of costs for a small single producer. After Brexit these will be phased out by 2021 or 2022.

We have heard about Japan opening up as a consumer. They are already taken care of by Australia and New Zealand.

Looking at the numbers it is self-evident that no trade deal with a single country or number of countries can replace the EU.

Robin Lloyd, Ellesmere

Send us your letters for publication:

Email us at starmail@shropshirestar.co.uk or write to: Readers’ Letters, Shropshire Star, Ketley, Telford, TF1 5HU. Letters MUST include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Letters will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to condense or amend letters.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.