** The Brexit Thread ** - 'Brexit Means Brexit'

[pete75]

I agree. Although having more control over this (and fishing) is, to my mind, one of the few potential benefits of leaving the EU. The government seem to be doing **** all with it. They should at least have some proposals under discussion by now.

Please be reassured....the UK Government will use our fishing merely as a bargaining token in negotiations concerning the regulation of the London financial industry and nothing more than that. The fishing industry is minuscule in comparison with the UK's other concerns.

I think they use fishing and territorial water rights as a propaganda tool. Just as Farage did.

We fished 'em out first in the sixties and seventies and then the EU created better sustainability,

Harrods alone is worth more to the UK economy than teh fishing industry. One billion as opposed to 750 million annually.

[pete75]

Agricultural yields have increased greatly over the centuries and can surely increase more, without nasty chemicals

It's the chemicals that have enabled yields to increase.

[Cyril Haearn]

I love rice but pearl barley instead is very tasty and can easily be grown in the UK. Unfortunately a lot of barley is used to make beer

Leeks are easy to grow too, I understand, and lavabread deserves to be much more popular

Agricultural yields have increased greatly over the centuries and can surely increase more, without nasty chemicals

"There is only one thing worse than a young pessimist: an old optimist"
I am proud to be an old optimist

Absolutely right.

In fact I see nothing wrong in the whole nation having to survive on millet.......seems reasonable.

There would be plenty of variety
Parsnips, potatoes, carrots, many different cereal products, spaghetti could easily be made in the UK, not just 2000 km away in Italy

[pete75]

I love rice but pearl barley instead is very tasty and can easily be grown in the UK. Unfortunately a lot of barley is used to make beer

Leeks are easy to grow too, I understand, and lavabread deserves to be much more popular

Agricultural yields have increased greatly over the centuries and can surely increase more, without nasty chemicals

"There is only one thing worse than a young pessimist: an old optimist"
I am proud to be an old optimist

Absolutely right.

In fact I see nothing wrong in the whole nation having to survive on millet.......seems reasonable.

Nooo George - surely we could have pearl barley occasionally for a bit of variety....

[georgew]

I agree. Although having more control over this (and fishing) is, to my mind, one of the few potential benefits of leaving the EU. The government seem to be doing **** all with it. They should at least have some proposals under discussion by now.

Please be reassured....the UK Government will use our fishing merely as a bargaining token in negotiations concerning the regulation of the London financial industry and nothing more than that. The fishing industry is minuscule in comparison with the UK's other concerns.

Honestly, if they had handled this well, and made it clear that they were going to take over regulation of farming, fishing, and forestry to the benefit of the UK (the people, landscape, & the environment, not just a few wealthy landlords), they could have won me over to the Brexit side. As it is, I am starting to think that even on this issue, where I disagreed substantially with many EU initiatives, that the UK may be better off with the EU than without.

Reason has had no part in the Brexit question and responses have been shaped by sheer emotion. Lies and misleading propaganda from the "Leave" campaign and amplified by the press swayed the leave voters. How else to explain those workers at Airbus in Wales, a joint European project, voting to leave. Or again, Wales, which has received a massive amount of EU grants again voting "Leave".

Turkeys and Christmas come to mind.

[Cyril Haearn]

Please be reassured....the UK Government will use our fishing merely as a bargaining token in negotiations concerning the regulation of the London financial industry and nothing more than that. The fishing industry is minuscule in comparison with the UK's other concerns.

I think they use fishing and territorial water rights as a propaganda tool. Just as Farage did.

We fished 'em out first in the sixties and seventies and then the EU created better sustainability,

Harrods alone is worth more to the UK economy than teh fishing industry. One billion as opposed to 750 million annually.

Harrods is not edible

[Vorpal]

Agricultural yields have increased greatly over the centuries and can surely increase more, without nasty chemicals

Some of the increase in agricultural yields has come at a cost to landscape and the environment. Hedgerows, rock walls, and other field divides have been removed, reducing wildflowers, insects and habitat for small animals. Steams have been rerouted or dammed, and wetlands filled in. The monoculture approach has also contributed significantly. Of course, breeding for yield, and those nasty chemicals have also caused it to increase.

[pete75]

I think they use fishing and territorial water rights as a propaganda tool. Just as Farage did.

We fished 'em out first in the sixties and seventies and then the EU created better sustainability,

Harrods alone is worth more to the UK economy than teh fishing industry. One billion as opposed to 750 million annually.

Harrods is not edible

Who said it was? I was just using that comparison to show that the fishing industry is of little importance to the overall economy despite all the fuss made about it. It stopped being of importance when we, stupidly in my opinion, let Iceland win the cod wars.

[Cyril Haearn]

I have seen the future and it works! The CAT at Pantperthog Wales shows the way, that remarkable Gerard Morgan-Grenville started it, Prince Charles was involved too
Cymru am byth!

I am sure Norway could feed itself too, there is quite a bit of soil in the south, besides, there must be lots of stuff in the sea that one "could" eat

The Inuit eat mostly fish and meat products, the Norwegians could do likewise
Not sure whether it would be hard to get used to (I am a vegetarian)

BTW I do seriously hold these opinions about food
There are plenty of examples in agriculture and elsewhere where the impossible was achieved

[Ben@Forest]

l am sure Norway could feed itself too, there is quite a bit of soil in the south, besides, there must be lots of stuff in the sea that one "could" eat

If Norway was to be self-sufficient there's no doubt they'd have to eat a lot of fish, they have the lowest % of agricultural land of any European country - about 3% if memory serves.

[Ben@Forest]

I do seriously hold these opinions about food. There are plenty of examples in agriculture and elsewhere where the impossible was achieved

We are due to have a population of 70 million in a few years time. To be self-sufficient in food would require wholesale changes to our lives but perhaps more notably we would have to have a lot less regard for the animals and birds which share these islands with us. You can't have both.

[Cyril Haearn]

I do seriously hold these opinions about food. There are plenty of examples in agriculture and elsewhere where the impossible was achieved

We are due to have a population of 70 million in a few years time. To be self-sufficient in food would require wholesale changes to our lives but perhaps more notably we would have to have a lot less regard for the animals and birds which share these islands with us. You can't have both.

It would be best to eat fewer animal products, producing them uses land inefficiently. Just look how much food an allotment can produce, I wish I could have worked on one instead of in an office

Norway has a lot of terrifying cliffs, just right for terraces
Just read how some scientists overwintering in the Antarctic are growing fresh vegs with solar power, cucumbers are grown in water which is used again and again
Soon people on Mars will be doing the same

Scotty beam me up!

[reohn2]

I'm still waiting for someone to give some sound reasons for the UK to leave the EU rather than such blather about "taking back control" or the much trumpeted immigration card

[pete75]

I'm still waiting for someone to give some sound reasons for the UK to leave the EU rather than such blather about "taking back control" or the much trumpeted immigration card

You'll be waiting a long time then because there aren't any that stand up to scrutiny or are based on anything other than wishful thinking.

[Ben@Forest]

I do seriously hold these opinions about food. There are plenty of examples in agriculture and elsewhere where the impossible was achieved

We are due to have a population of 70 million in a few years time. To be self-sufficient in food would require wholesale changes to our lives but perhaps more notably we would have to have a lot less regard for the animals and birds which share these islands with us. You can't have both.

It would be best to eat fewer animal products, producing them uses land inefficiently. Just look how much food an allotment can produce, I wish I could have worked on one instead of in an office

Norway has a lot of terrifying cliffs, just right for terraces
Just read how some scientists overwintering in the Antarctic are growing fresh vegs with solar power, cucumbers are grown in water which is used again and again
Soon people on Mars will be doing the same

Scotty beam me up!

You have enviable enthusiasm and I'd hesitate to ask what you do for a job - but I work in this sector. There are many things that could be done differently and you could mobilise the people into different habits - like growing their own food - but don't pretend it won't affect other species. It's on record that during WW2 there was an increase in bird egg predation so people could eat more - I have met someone who took and ate moorhen eggs during the war.