The broad sunlit uplands of next March. Yeah, really. .

[Peter Mallett]

But it's only imported cheaper because the subsidies paid in part by UK citizens make it so.

I can see it now. I vote remain because ..... lettuce.

It's ********.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Sadly, probably more in the pic is imported than you’d think. The peppers for instance. My ex bro in law and sister used to grow them for a living not far from here, until forced out if the market by cheaper produce from Holland.

There’s an awful lot of veg that we could grow here if it wasn’t imported cheaper. It would be good to see that happen.....

Yes I realise most of it is imported, but not from the EU, some may well be grown in greenhouses in Spain but just checking some of our fruit and veg of late, broccoli from Africa, Peru and Venezuela, Peppers from S America, potatoes usually from the UK, carrots from anywhere that Tesco can get them cheaply, and it goes on.

[Mike Bell]

Of course, when I were a lad everyone ate local seasonal veg or not at all! Remember Mother bottling fruit, though. None of of your fresh strawbs 12 months of the year......

[Peter Mallett]

Well yes what is actually wrong with seasonal fruit and veg? But as Tim says the EU only provides some of what is available.

As far as I know nobody has answered the question, why remain? All I've seen is leaving is wrong. But why?

Likewise we were all going to die with a leave vote, yet as far as I can see, we're all still doing quite well. Hmmm.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Of course, when I were a lad everyone ate local seasonal veg or not at all! Remember Mother bottling fruit, though. None of of your fresh strawbs 12 months of the year......

Ah, but with our almost free green 'leccy that is promised we should be able to set up the same sort of low cost growing facilities that the Dutch have developed and have pretty much of all we can sensibly use all year round anyway.

If not I'm sure some enterprising souls will start to smuggle things in via Cornwall - might get the Brit and French trawlers co-operating.

And then we could legalise all of the cannabis farms (that are not already legal) and run some sort of bartering system with the Dutch.

Given the potential of hydroponics these days very little is out of scope provided one can exclude the dumping from the subsidy farmers.

If the Russians can make greenhouses work in Siberia I can't see why we should have a problem with year round production in the UK - given some non-intermittent energy supplies.

https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9...n-novosibirsk/

There has been a research greenhouse in the city for quite a while. I friend of mine went to a scientific conference in Novosibirsk some year back and one of the trips that was arranged by the locals was to a facility that existed back then - must be over 15 years ago and it had been around for ages at that point - in which, iirc, they could grow bananas.

I suspect the availability of Siberian oil and Natural gas would be helpful in that respect.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by grantp

.........

If not I'm sure some enterprising souls will start to smuggle things in via Cornwall - might get the Brit and French trawlers co-operating.

...........

It would make more sense to bring all the Spanish fruit and veg up on their fishing boats, then we can turn a blind eye and let them carry on fishing our waters.....

[grantp]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

It would make more sense to bring all the Spanish fruit and veg up on their fishing boats, then we can turn a blind eye and let them carry on fishing our waters.....

Good point.


But would the tomatoes smell of fish?

[Gerard C]

I think the pro fishermen rights will be the first problem. Well, its already the case sometimes. Many Trafalgar remakes to fear…

[Mike Bell]

"No-deal Brexit will lead to thousands of deaths by driving up the price of fruit and vegetables, experts have calculated.
Increased prices will mean British intake of fruit and vegetables could drop by as much as 11 per cent, according to researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Liverpool."

There's always an opposite view! Both quoted from MSM-

"Edgar Miller, convenor of the Economists for Free Trade group, said: 'This is Project Fear at its very worst - a report written by a group of generally junior medical researchers none of whom have any discernible expertise in trade theory or experience in modelling trade flows.

'They have missed the key point: the EU exists to protect EU, the majority French, farmers from market forces in the rest of the world.
'Getting rid of EU protectionism through free trade agreements and unilateral elimination of tariffs on fruit and vegetables that are not produced in the UK will result in an immediate fall in food prices, as exporters around the globe supply food at lower world prices.
'Food producers from the EU will then have to cut prices to stay competitive; they will not be in a position to raise prices in Britain, even if Britain imposes tariffs against the EU.
'In addition, the UK will see a seven per cent gain in GDP and an overall 8 per cent fall in consumer prices.'"

[midgetman]

I'm surprised no-one has managed to spin the Tesco job losses as Brexit related.

There is a lot of bull about this week.

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[Peter Mallett]

That is the problem though. I'm lucky I've liv3d and worked around the world and in most cases food is pretty.much the same cost everywhere. It only gets more pricey within the EU. A coffee in Milan will set you back about 4 euros, whereas the same coffee here is one Euro. Beef is imported from Italy to here and thus it is about the same price per kg as the UK. But fruit and veg is cheap as chips.

When I was in the middle East food prices were roughly the same as the UK. We had Brazilian beef, New Zealand lamb etc.

Hence when I'm told there will be shortages and/or costs will rise my cynicism knows no bounds.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by midgetman

I'm surprised no-one has managed to spin the Tesco job losses as Brexit related.

There is a lot of bull about this week.

Give ‘em time!

Oh, and MaccyD have warmed of a possible lettuce shortage for their burgers and stuff..... How will we cope!

[Peter Mallett]

If I were them I'd sack my purhasing team.

[midgetman]

I suppose amid all this uncertainty if I were a non EU country I'd be in the UK offering some pretty spectacular deals for the next 60 days. A great time to be selling South American beef or NZ lamb.

And all the while our "governing body" plays politics, leaving the Poor Bloody Infantry (ie the people who create the wealth to pay their salaries) with no idea how they'll be operating in 60 days time. Pathetic.




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[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Give ‘em time!

Oh, and MaccyD have warmed of a possible lettuce shortage for their burgers and stuff..... How will we cope!

I always delete the lettuce from my burgers anyway, it makes the contents of the bun too slippery and therefore often all down my front!

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Give ‘em time!



Oh, and MaccyD have warmed of a possible lettuce shortage for their burgers and stuff..... How will we cope!

They could simply recycle the leaves that most kids take out of their burger as soon as it is presented to them. And as for worrying about the meat, they've always tasted like cardboard to me anyway so a trip to our local recycling centre should suffice.

Thinking of which. These supermarkets who've said there'll be shortages - aren't they the same ones who take pride in using local produce?

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[Peter Mallett]

The supermarkets re the ones who promote the stack em high, sell em cheap philosophy. As you say, Aus, NZ and South America must be offering deals right now.

[Willmaz223]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

I always delete the lettuce from my burgers anyway, it makes the contents of the bun too slippery and therefore often all down my front!

😁😁.For me its the gerkin stuff.GRIM.This shortage does show how succeptable humans are to change in conditions etc.

[midgetman]

I've eaten more.times at McDonald's recently than in the rest of my life. Twice. Yes that makes a grand total of four visits to McD in all the centuries I've been on this earth. I've managed to avoid it otherwise.

Not as awful a place as KFC though.

As someone pointed out to me, KFC managed to run out of food without Brexit to inspire them.

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[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by midgetman

I've eaten more.times at McDonald's recently than in the rest of my life. Twice. Yes that makes a grand total of four visits to McD in all the centuries I've been on this earth. I've managed to avoid it otherwise.

Not as awful a place as KFC though.

As someone pointed out to me, KFC managed to run out of food without Brexit to inspire them.

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You're obviously a Burger King man then Max!
What amused me about the KFC situation was that it was chicken that they ran out of!

[Willmaz223]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

You're obviously a Burger King man then Max!
What amused me about the KFC situation was that it was chicken that they ran out of!

Like there being a race meet and there being no fuel.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Give ‘em time!

Oh, and MaccyD have warmed of a possible lettuce shortage for their burgers and stuff..... How will we cope!

Not had a MacDonalds for years.

I don't recall there being much lettuce anyway. Did things change?

When I were a lad salad stuff was mostly summer and winter veg were mostly winter unless processed into tins. Some veg stuff changed after the freezer revolution of the 60s but salad was still a fresh purchase for summer months.

If you wanted strawberries out of season you bought one of those new fangled fancy foreign yoghurt things in a little plastic pot. A new novelty back then.

We survived quite well, although of course the population was somewhat smaller at the time.

Travel to the continent was discouraged, partly through restrictions on how much cash one could take out of the country for holidays, etc.

One thought that occurs to me is that any need to adjust to a different pattern of certain life expectations that may turn out to be the result of "Brexit" in some small way (whether or not the change was forced by Brexit or simply a change in habits dues to slightly altered circumstances) may be little more than a prelude to the changes that could occur if our wonderful politicians and bureaucrats totally screw up the reliable energy availability "plan" - assuming there is one.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

You're obviously a Burger King man then Max!
What amused me about the KFC situation was that it was chicken that they ran out of!

To be fair, their new at the time logistics partner cocked it up by not having all the paperwork rubber stamped to be able to store and transport raw meat!

As for MaccyD, a couple of years ago when choice of ‘outlet’ was limited wherever I was in Europe at the time, I found they did a grilled chicken breast and salad wrap, which suited me fine. Last year I had reason to visit another location, and the same wrap consumed fried nuggets- probably reconstituted meat as well. So no chance of me going back in, unless for a coffee!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Willmaz223

����.For me its the gerkin stuff.GRIM.This shortage does show how succeptable humans are to change in conditions etc.

How adaptable rather than susceptible , Will.

Give it a few days and most people will neither notice nor care much.

See, for me a Mac without the gherkin is about as bland as bland can be. There is nothing, other than instant stomach filling convenience in certain situations where no cardboard is available, that attracts me to the product.

Other than the gherkin, of which there is usually too little for my liking.

That said I think the last Mac I had was several years ago in northern France heading for one of the ferry ports and there did seem to be something rather better about the menu available if one was prepared to be a little adventurous. (Compared to the UK.)

Sitting in the sunshine outside helped somewhat.

[Mike Bell]

Yep, in my younger days when Zaks or Captain America’s were the burger restaurants of choice in Norwich, gherkin was compulsory!

Well, who’s getting excited in anticipation of the vote later? Meanwhile, there was concerning talk in the media this morning of Denmark ‘building a wall along the border’. Turns out that it’s an attempt to stop wild boar that could be infected with ‘African swine fever’ from crossing into the country. I believe them....

One of our advantages- being an island nation. Unless pigs really can fly!