NEVER FORGET the EU was conceived in the 1950s, after the terrible events of the Second World War, by a Mr Monet, a Mr Schumann and others including Sir Winston Churchill. It was modelled on the United States of America and had as its goal for Europe the two Ps – peace and prosperity. It has by and large been quite successful at delivering the peace, including Northern Ireland.

Prosperity went well until the 1980s when the large food corporate retailers, the large food corporate wholesalers, to a lesser extent the large corporate food processors and the large co-op food processors who behave like corporates, began to take over. They influenced the EU ship in the wheelhouse, persuading them to continue talking the talk, but not walking the walk, increasingly in the food corporates' interests.

In short, the hard-working family farms and rural businesses of rural Europe are being short changed in what they should expect from the Treaty of Rome, the Lisbon Treaty, the Maastricht Treaty, the Human Rights Laws and all the other EU promises to the people.

Article 39b of the Lisbon Treaty states in short, that rural dwellers are to be properly rewarded for their work but, as explained, we know in whose interest it is not to deliver this pledge. Today, 50% (ie peace across the EU) of what goes on in the EU is good, the other 50% is now corporate corrupt at the top (ie the missing prosperity for rural dwellers and others) this needs corrected immediately!

Then we come to Westminster, where we have seen the actions of successive UK governments since the 1980s. As the corporate corrupt EU prosperity machine started financially milking farmers and rural dwellers, so did Westminster, again due to increasing food corporate influence including the bankers, to which even Blair’s new Labour became easily addicted to.

If proof were needed of this new 21st century UK politics pillaging rural UK financially for the sake of food corporates’ and others profits, then look no further than the 2015 verdict by the Supermarket Ombudsman against Tesco. A few days after this, Vince Cable (Lib Dem MP in the last Coalition Government) was interviewed by the BBC and asked what he thought of the outcome; he summed it up by saying, ‘when we were in Coalition we pushed hard for the Supermarket Ombudsman’s office to have increased powers but also the ability to fine the large supermarkets but the Tories wouldn’t hear tell of it – if the ability for the Supermarket Ombudsman to fine had been in place, Tesco would have been fined up to £400million.’

I ask you what chance does a family farm have of receiving a fair price for their produce against the financial might and influence of these food corporates both in Westminster and Brussels — therefore, we have been making the Northern Ireland case for legislation on farm gate prices.

If successful, legislation on farm gate prices now having been worked on for over three years in Northern Ireland and shortly to be put to Stormont (as soon as it returns to office) would return farmers a minimum of the cost of production plus a margin inflation linked across the staples.

The case Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA) and Farmers For Action (FFA) in Northern Ireland are trying to put with this legislation is what Brussels should have done 20 years ago, were it not for the corporate influence otherwise, if this model proves successful then hopefully the idea will spread.

If we stay in the EU, we have a citizens of Europe-entitled route all the way to Brussels and Strasbourg with this legislation plan. If we leave next March, the large food corporates will carry on business as usual and so far in Northern Ireland we cannot see a legal route being agreed with Westminster for legislation on farm gate prices any time soon due to the food corporate influence.

Yes, Westminster may give subsidies like the ones we currently receive, but do not forget these are worthless because the food corporates take them by stealth, therefore, in or out, we need legislation on farm gate prices! Hopefully after reading this information the new slant on your farming rights within the EU will help you decide which way to vote should the opportunity present itself shortly.

Further evidence is available by reading the Gosling Report: http://www.paulgosling.net/2016/01/on-the-eve-of-destruction-a-report-on-northern-irelands-farming-sector/ and its proof of prosperity for Northern Ireland, should the legislation succeed. This would deliver the missing Prosperity that the EU’s founders pledged.

William Taylor,

Farmers For Action UK NI co-ordinator