Brexit: If we boost agricultural opportunities, we could produce more than we import

What on earth makes those remainers believe there will be food shortages in the event of a no deal leaving the European Union?

In the event one had a lorry load of fruit coming from Europe to the United Kingdom, the goods would be checked at the warehouse.

There would not be any need to check them at the docks.

And would the companies want to waste time, while seeing their goods perish on the way?

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A bigger issue is, why don’t we produce more of what we import?

There are many young people coming out of agricultural colleges, that would like to have their own account and have a smallholding and work up to a larger farm.

Why doesn’t this happen? It’s because we have speculators purchasing land as a safe haven for their capital.

If one farmed an acre of land, it would take one 500 years to earn £100,000. That gives you an idea of what little you would earn, and at the same time everyone needs to eat.

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We see short term lets. Farming is a long term plan. Defra are consulting and looking at agricultural tenancies. Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland is making farm tenancies 35 years or retirement. That’s not a bad thing. One can still lose one’s tenancy for bad farming practice or debt, but growing food to feed the nation has to be a long term plan.

Maybe when we leave the European Union, the money we give to the EU can be used instead to create small farming enterprises, with the Government underwriting any loan given to those starting out.

Laurence Keeley,

Fairfield,

Herstmonceux