Time to back British farming

No better time, then, for the Government to launch its £400m plan for the public sector to use more locally sourced food and drink.

Not surprisingly, the project has won the support of the National Farmers’ Union which has hailed it as a significant step in the right direction for the long-fought campaign to persuade the Government to show proper support for British farming.

Of course, no one can expect Britain to become self-sufficient in food. Indeed, a healthy flow of imports is desirable. But the nation can do much better than it is presently doing and it is up to the Government to lead the way.

For public bodies, buying food and drink locally makes sense in terms of cutting transport costs, but it should also guarantee fresher, better quality ingredients. And any increase in price, compared with foreign imports, is usually down to the fact that animals are farmed to far higher welfare standards in this country than they are abroad.

Indeed, in sourcing food locally, there are multiple benefits not only to agriculture but to the public sector itself. With so much concern of late about the standard of meals being served in schools and hospitals, for example, there is no better way of starting to improve their quality than by cooking with fresh, local ingredients.

And in schools, there is also the opportunity to use this campaign to educate children about farming and its importance to the nation, particularly considering recent surveys that have shown astonishing ignorance of rural life among urban children.

All these are worthy goals which successive governments have failed to deliver through a failure to prioritise British agriculture. This project is long overdue and its progress must be monitored carefully.

Russians violate crash site

ANYONE SEEING the reports of international investigators being denied access to the site of the Malaysia Airlines disaster in Ukraine, of the bodies of the victims being moved, of drunken Russian fighters allegedly looting the wreckage, will surely agree with David Cameron’s warning that the West must now adopt a much tougher approach towards Russia.

In a flagrant insult to the 298 victims and their families, all normal procedures following an air crash are apparently being flouted as Ukraine’s Russian rebels desperately try to cover up any evidence of their involvement in launching the missile which caused this tragedy.

But the question is what are Western leaders prepared to do to hold to account Russian President Vladimir Putin and the self-styled leaders of the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine?

For his part, Mr Putin insists on maintaining the fiction that the rebellion in Ukraine is nothing to do with him, that it is a spontaneous uprising against a dictatorial government in Kiev and, despite evidence to the contrary, that no military training or weapons are being supplied from Moscow.

By this logic, regardless of who launched the missile, the fault for this disaster lies with Ukraine for allowing a civil war on its territory.

There is going to be no change to this line from Moscow unless real pressure is applied. But is the West really committed to this idea? The limited sanctions applied so far have had little or no effect on Mr Putin. Which is why he and his forces believe that they are free to violate this crash site as they please.

Literacy talent alive and well

FOR THOSE concerned about poor literacy in schools, there is heartening evidence to the contrary to be found in The Yorkshire Post today.

Anyone in search of a good read should seek out the winning entries in our Inspiring Young Writers short story competition which drew entries of a very high standard from across the region. Winners Rhys Gannon, Muskan Kabir and Abbie Barraclough demonstrated writing of astonishing maturity and so, too, did our runners-up.

The fact that children in this region are less likely to master the basics of reading and writing than their counterparts elsewhere in England is a shaming statistic, but this competition has shown what talent is out there and demonstrated that it is up to schools to bring that talent to its potential.

And, with this in mind, it will soon be time for the next stage of our Turning the Page literacy campaign: awards to recognise the best work being done to promote literacy in the classroom.