Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by TE Richardson (RAS 07)

  1.  As a farmer on a modest acreage for the past 50 years, I have to question the thinking of the Prime Minister when, during his Presidency of the EU in May last year, he asked whether the EU in the 21st century should be spending 10 times as much on Agriculture, as on Science, technology, research and development.

  2.  I can tell the PM that, even with the existing levels of support, farms of all sizes in the 21st century are struggling economically.

  3.  There are 60 million mouths (yes, my guess is as good as yours!) to be fed three times a day on this small island, and your cannot eat science, technology or research—important as they are . . .

  4.  The very fact that a meagre 2% of the population manage to produce 70% of the food we eat each day, is, a near miracle in itself . . . .

  5.  The CAP acknowledges the importance of home-produced food to European member nations, for reasons of strategy and convenience, and yes, cheaper food can be imported—cheaper because of lower wages and standards in under-developed countries,—but such prices would kill off UK production—and for some of us, the memories of war are still sore . . .

  6  If we are to rely solely on imports, not only would our balance of payments suffer, but, just recall what happened recently in the Ukraine, when neighbouring Russia turned off their gas supply at the height of winter . . .

  7.  Can we afford to take such risks with our food supply . . . ?

  8.  As to the environmental pollution involved in conveying all the nation's food to these shores, just does not bear contemplation.

  9.  The net result of all this, must be, to restore Agriculture to its rightful place of prime importance to the nation, by giving it its own Ministry, as in the past, a Minister with a seat in the Cabinet.

June 2006





 
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