YP Letters: Farmers' valid fears on life outside the EU

AS a farmer, I take exception to the patronising letter by Andrew Dennis of the Leave EU Group (The Yorkshire Post, February 13).

Does he think that farmers are naive enough to believe that a British system of agricultural support (if there was to be one) would be any less bureaucratic? I think not. On past experience, it would be more so. Many of the EU regulations have been “gold- plated” and made more onerous by our own civil servants.

Does he think that UK farmers believe that any British government would allow milk and food prices to rise by (I presume) tariffs on or restrictions of imports? No they will not, and any potential rise in British prices will see agricultural produce dumped on the UK market.

To bring the level of debate down to the issue of the shape of bananas and cucumbers does not do him any credit.

It is easy to say that the EU has failed over the migrant crisis, perhaps it has, but how would Mr Dennis propose that it is done differently? I do not think for one minute if we leave the EU that the French government will continue for long to stop the migrants at their border. They will allow them to cross the Channel, we will have the camps in Dover, and they will leak.

From: Pamela Frankland, Hull Road, Dunnington, York.

AS a farmer of some 83 years, I feel we must look, not just at a snapshot, but at the bigger picture for our country as a whole (Andrew Dennis, The Yorkshire Post, February 13).

It is a some what blinkered attitude to think only of ourselves. What would it mean to the food prices if we lose our single farm payment (if we ever get it)? Supermarket price wars, now between Morrisons and Aldi, are squeezing the producer even more. We are already in desperate times with rock bottom prices. Would the nation be any better off out of the EU? Who knows? Only time will tell. Why cannot the Government or someone with all the facts and figures spell it out to us so we can at least try to come to a decision of some sense?

From: David Rhodes, Keeble Park North, Bishopthorpe, York.

ANGELA Merkel’s recent comment that the UK will not survive if we leave the EU is a vitriolic attack and not particularly helpful.

I know a few people in the farming fraternity, and am concerned for them if trade negotiations for every single product haveú to be carried out with the EU.

Here, quite naturally, the word reciprocation would come in. Take, for instance, the wine industry. We presumably would make France and Germany negotiate individually on champagne (a great percentage of which comes to Britain), Burgundy, Bordeaux, Loire, Alsace, Rhine, Rhone etc, making it as difficult for them to export to us as it will be for us to sell products to them.

Just look in the supermarkets at the excellent wines from New Zealand, Australia, Chile, California – there is even an English-style champagne – so we could easily survive with these other markets.

Can you imagine the French vineyard owners saying we won’t mind going bust if it’s for the good of the EU? Next thing we could expect would be small boats landing on our shores with the resurgence of smuggling!

From: Ian Oglesby, Stamford Bridge, York

IN response to Don Burslam’s letter (The Yorkshire Post, February 15), it is abundantly clear that Nato has been the prime factor in Europe’s stability, in contrast to the actions of the EU. We recall the complete lack of diplomatic effort in Brussels to avert the Balkans conflict, the riots, suicides and poverty in southern European countries followed by the promise of utopia to Ukraine, oblivious to the response of Russia.

Talent lost to mumbling

From: Marian Armstrong, Levens, Kendal, Cumbria.

I COULD not agree more with the sentiment expressed by Tom Richmond (The Yorkshire Post, February 13) about the BBC series Happy Valley.

It said verbatim what I had already said myself. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that much of the dialogue was spoken with the characters’ backs to the camera. What has happened to voice projection now that so much drama takes place on television? In the theatre, the drama is often portraying quiet, intimate scenes but characters are still audible at the back of the auditorium if the actors are being true to their professional skills. I agree Sarah Lancashire is a fine actress in a fine drama, but this is totally lost.

Do the broadcasters not, in the interests of quality control, view and listen to their own productions?

Right from horse’s mouth

From: Ruthven Urquhart, High Hunsley, Cottingham.

REFERRING to your piece about horses (The Yorkshire Post, February 10), I can accept the fact that they can read and understand the expression on human faces.

I have also learned over my 55 years of breeding and working with them that they respond kindly to calm and controlled words when in the presence of their handlers.

Finally, and somewhat facetiously, I would add that they truly possess sufficient intelligence not to bet on men!

No such place

From: Joan Bagshaw, St Michael’s Mead, Sawley, Ripon.

WITH regard to Ben Barnett’s recent article in Country Week mentioning the South Riding, a riding is a third – from the old word “thriding”. Hence the South Riding doesn’t exist – there were only ever the North, East and West Ridings of Yorkshire.