Support our farmers and buy British – Yorkshire Post Letters

I NEEDED time to reflect on the disappointing news that MPs have voted not support the Agriculture Bill that ensures any food imported into the UK must meet the same high welfare standards as food produced here in the UK.

Over one million people backed the NFU food standards petition, that’s one million people who believe in the hard work and dedication that goes into producing food in this country that we can proudly say has some of the highest welfare standards in the world.

That’s over one million people putting their health and values over cost. That’s over one million people caring about the process of field to fork.

As a district councillor who represents a rural area with farming at the heart of our community, I must stress how much farmers here pride themselves on farming systems.

They work tirelessly to try and farm in a sustainable way, whilst looking after the environment and whilst maintaining the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

Not supporting this Bill could be detrimental to the farming industry and to the healthy, nutritious food that’s on all our plates.

In my opinion we cannot produce food any cheaper to compete with the likes of the US without compromising on quality, health or the environment.

Please support British farming by shopping local and buying British.

From: Pete Fawcett, Cleckheaton.

THE Covid-19 is of course a virus. But there is a comparison in horticulture. Potato blight arose around 1845. All manner of theories as to what was the cause were explored.

People wrote in to say it was like an epidemic resembling cholera. Then a breakthrough in diagnosis came. It was a fungus known as Pernospora infestans.

A copper sulphate concoction called Bordeaux Mixture was used. But the fungus was always one jump ahead. In the 1940s work began on resitant cultivars, which still continues. But even today blight remains unconquered.

Growers learned that they had to live with it. I get the feeling it will be the same with Covid-19.

From: Peter Rickaby, West Park, Selby.

LOGICAL thinking would place Covid-19 patients in separate hospitals (i.e. Nightingales) to allow NHS services to proceed as normal. Is this too complicated for bureaucrats and politicians to comprehend or too much like hard work to organise?

From: R Kimble, Lea Farm Road, Leeds.

THE state pension is to rise by £4.40 next year. This is the reward for actually working hard all your life. Meanwhile MPs are getting a £3,300 pay rise.

For what? Utter failure? They constantly fail to practice what they preach in a way that would get most of us the sack. Then they wonder why most of the country despises them.

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