Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Wonder how top that Australian fruit will be after traveling 10000 miles, the reason our trade with those countries is negligible isn't because of the EU it's because they're so far away and strangely that isn't going to change because of leaving.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Eh, we had things then we don’t have now - diphtheria, rickets, measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, polio, and a captive Commonwealth marketplace.

However, in today’s economies, 75% of Australia and NZ food exports go to China, East Asia, and the Oceanic countries (including USA) - do you really believe it makes economic sense to ship things 10,000 miles around the world when you have existing profitable markets closer to hand.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

It’s not always profitable. Cane sugar from the Americas is (or would be) far cheaper than European grown beet sugar, but EU tariffs are designed to protect beet producers, which are mostly located in northern continental Europe (and most of that in France and Germany). Prior to our entry into the EU most sugar refined in the UK came from cane. There’s no reason why that shouldn’t resume, now we are no longer obligated to subscribe to Franco-German protectionism that is the very heart of the European project.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Over 50% of the sugar in the U.K. comes from U.K. produced beet sugar (and we also export 300,000 tonnes of beet sugar annually), so any ‘freeing up" of the market would decimate that industry.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Sugar beet is just a sweeter relative of beetroot. It’s not the only thing that can be grown on that land. If domestically grown product can’t compete with imports then its producers should grow something else that is profitable.

Seriously ... did you think the corn laws were a good idea? Keeping staple food prices artificially high to protect domestic producers is as absurd now as it ever was.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

But Cane Sugar from the Americas is already tariff free - the Least Developed Countries (LDC) and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries trading under Everything but Arms (EBA) have unrestricted, tariff-free imports of raw sugar into the EU.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

If you’re going to copy and paste material it’s considered polite to provide the link, so the rest of us can determine whether you’ve understood what you’ve quoted in its context.

As you appear to have copied from here ... https://www.ragus.co.uk/tariffs-on-sugars-explained/ ... I think I might charitably suggest you have oversimplified it to the point of misunderstanding it.

The vast majority of sugar cane is produced in Brazil, imports of which attract tariffs from €98 to €419 per tonne, depending on how refined it is, and what sort of refining it is intended for. The LDC countries barely register as cane producers on a global scale.

Also, would you mind clarifying: do you think it’s a good thing to use tariffs to protect domestic food production, even when this pushes up food prices for consumers?

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Boom.....head shot...50 pts. :sniper:

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Poppycock at least 100 points deserved!:D

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Well, apparently, the Brazilians subsidise their sugar productions/exports.

https://sugaralliance.org/brazils-2-...s-exposed/4412

I made the point about the Caribbean sugar imports because that's where we imported a lot of sugar from in the 50s.

(and the reason I didn't provide a link previously, is that I was putting my grandson back to bed at the same time, and he distracted me - sorry).

Yes, I think we should subsidise our home production, otherwise we become dependent on imports, which can so so badly wrong.

---------- Post added at 12:48 ---------- Previous post was at 12:13 ----------

On a separate note...

https://www.cityam.com/boris-bridge-...o-10-confirms/

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Yes, Boris has got a great record on building bridges...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_Bridge

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Yes nothing reeks more of getting your country back, freedom and not being governed by foreigners more than surrendering your ability to sustain yourself with homegrown food. Looks like Patrick bloody Minford was right for just about the first time in his life, we will have to sacrifice agriculture and manufacturing as well on the brexit alter