UK farmers making tiny profits as supermarkets boast record takings
GuardianNov 26, 2022
UK: Farmers Stage Tractor Protest in Central London
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The Facts
A go-slow farmer protest took place in London on Monday evening. More than a hundred tractors gathered outside Parliament, demanding support for food production amid claims that cheap imports and the British farm payments scheme have placed food security at risk.
Farmers allege that trade deals with New Zealand and Australia, the Asia-Pacific Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and a lack of import checks had undermined UK food quality and placed British farmers at risk.
The Spin
Left narrative
Brexiteers had pledged that the farming sector would be better off if the UK, which imports nearly half of its food and has traditionally neglected domestic production, left the EU. Unsurprisingly, the country is now on the brink of major food shortages due to a combination of border checks that brought confusion, ill-planned subsidies, and price pressure from retailers.
Right narrative
Though post-Brexit agricultural policies do play a role in the current farming crisis, these are only minor factors within a much wider problem. Following farming protests in France and Germany, it was only a matter of time before British farmers escalated their demonstrations. Unsustainable high productions costs, crop losses, and slow economic growth throughout Europe cannot be blamed solely on Brexit.