Euro Notebook

Richard Wright

THE CONSERVATIVES aren't attacking the EU over greening's negative effects on farming, because they aspire to be even greener

Green cuts and food security make unlikely bedfellows
Drivers on some Dutch motorways have had to cope with hazards that do not appear on their sat-nav – farmers have been dumping manure on roads as part of a campaign against new controls on farm efficiency to comply with EU regulations.

The pursuit by Europe and the UK of a green net zero agenda appeared to work when there was the backstop of imported gas from a country not known for its green credentials

Euro Notebook Time to ease back on the green pedal that Johnson put flat to the floor

THERE WAS a time when politicians recognised the importance of national food security in a turbulent world

Richard Wright No outcome of the Conservative Party's leadership race will see farmers celebrating

Good bye Boris ... what happens next is open to conjecture, for agriculture a newminister is essential given the trade deals that have been agreed

Richard Wright Boris Johnson leaves a sour legacy for farming

When wars are being fought on farmland, food security suddenly becomes a much more pressing issue

Euro Notebook Today's global power dynamic radically changes how people see food security

As Brexiteers are fond of saying... its happened, better get used to it

Euro Notebook London's response to the food crisis lags behind Brussels – so whither the Brexit bonus?

Richard Wright's Euro Notebook: An imperial rise through political fall-out?

Richard Wright An imperial rise through political fall-out?

Over trade alone, farmers – many of whom, particularly in England, supported Brexit – have not done well

Richard Wright When no deal is better than any deal?

'The Johnson claim that he would never allow a border in the Irish Sea was always a falsehood, based on what he signed' : Richard Wright

Richard Wright Distant fields are always greener for Prime Minister Johnson

UK trade policy is now focussed on making friends in the Pacific

Richard Wright Oz deal is the thin end of a dangerous wedge for UK agriculture

Boris Johnson auctions a cow during a visit to a cattle auction in Clitheroe in Lancashire, during his campaign to get farmers to support Brexit (Pic: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

Richard Wright Johnson's assurances to farmers are fine words but no more than that

Richard Wright Australian trade is the thin end of a fatal wedge

"The policies being discussed for the UK by the government are effectively English policies to tackle what are perceived as UK-wide problems. This is not the case – the devolved regions are different in every way. That is certainly the case

PREMIUM Scotland needs to do future farming policy its own way

THERE'S more than one way to manipulate genes - and some ways be more politically acceptable than others

PREMIUM EU Commission softens its stance on gene editing

THERE'S A bonfire... but instead of red tape, its farmers' expectations of less government interference that have gone up in flames

PREMIUM Brexit took farmers out of the frying pan and into the fire

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross (Pic: Daniel Leal-Olivas - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

PREMIUM Brexit promises sacrificed in the search for green popularity

New Zealand is top of the list for a UK post-Brexit trade deal

PREMIUM Cheap wine and meat will seal the Kiwi deal for UK consumers

Brazilian cattle

PREMIUM Brazil bolsters its beef reputation as trade deals beckon

Farmers worked around the clock to keep the nation fed during lockdown, having to navigate social distancing measures Ref:RH310320259 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer

PREMIUM Governments must stop taking food security for granted

'Boris Johnson clearly lacked the benefits of a Scottish grandmother or anyone else to temper his speak-first-think-later approach' - Richard Wright

PREMIUM Growing concern over 'one way street' trade issues

GENE EDITING is not the same as 'genetic modification'... but some opponents argue that it is on the same spectrum

PREMIUM Britain backing biotech will not ease EU trade problems

More and more international bodies are backing lab grown meat

PREMIUM Take on the anti-meat brigade with some big guns

ULTIMATELY the decisions over what imports to allow rest with the UK Government

PREMIUM Don't celebrate til the Government actually heeds TAC advice

UK trade agreements 2021 (Graphic: Daran755/Wikipedia)

PREMIUM Desperate UK will compromise with everyone but Brussels

Scotland's coronavirus vaccination campaign is proceeding at pace

PREMIUM Farming is moving into the post-coronavirus era

THE UK might have left the political union, but the EU is still geographically right next door

PREMIUM Europe was, is, and always will be our biggest market

International trade minister, Liz Truss, has said that the UK might join a trans-Pacific free trade partnership – despite these islands being firmly based in the Atlantic

PREMIUM UK trade policy all about scoring points and chasing pipe-dreams

FRENCH FARMERS aren't afraid of standing up for themselves - and UK farm products that are produced cheaper by avoiding EU regulations might become a sore point

PREMIUM Dangerous omens as the EU protects its citizens

For decades, the UK agricultural industry has been based on complex trading relationships both within the EU and beyond

PREMIUM Brexit has created more red tape than Brussels

As Brexiteers are fond of saying... its happened, better get used to it

PREMIUM How will we know if Brexit has worked?

What's above the surface is just a preview....

Export problems are just the tip of a huge iceberg

The Devil is in the detail

PREMIUM Spin war erupts over post-Brexit trade deals

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

PREMIUM If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (Pic: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Brexit negotiations locked-in the last chance saloon

A trade deal could transform Boris Johnson's lacklustre leadership, finally offering evidence that he can deliver as well as bluster (Pic: John Sibley/PA Wire)

PREMIUM Deal or no deal, the negotiations are far from over

BEFORE THE Brexit referendum, former DEFRA minister Owen Paterson promised that leaving the EU would free UK farmers of environmental red tape

PREMIUM English farmers look set to become park keepers

Chancellor Rishi Sunak (Pic: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

PREMIUM Never gamble on the generosity of HM Treasury

Deal or no deal, brace for a battle a day

PREMIUM Deal or no deal, brace for a battle a day

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden may prove to be less in tune with UK PM Boris Johnson than his populist predecessor, Donald Trump (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

PREMIUM Biden is no fan of Johnson's Brexit

Every once in a while... (Pic: WikiCommons)

PREMIUM Once in a Blue Moon, farming wins a fight

WHILE ALL eyes look across the Atlantic at the USA's heated election battle, the UK may be preparing to soften its Brexit stance

Johnson eyes US election as 'good time to bury' bad Brexit news

For decades, the UK agricultural industry has been based on complex trading relationships both within the EU and beyond

PREMIUM Brexit: What can farming do to prepare? The answer is nothing

Trade minister, Liz Truss, has confirmed what we already know – that the Trade and Agriculture Commission she set up is largely pointless

UK to become a magnet for cheap food imports

Wisdom from Lewis Carroll

PREMIUM Johnson's 'jam tomorrow' promises do not stand up

Mood now reflects the mutual need for a deal (Pixabay)

PREMIUM Mood now reflects the mutual need for a deal

James Porter, with a field of Fuego spring bean in the background Ref:RH19617389

PREMIUM Seeing the food for the trees ... and Brexit

Brexiteers promised the British electorate that leaving the European Union would mean cheaper food

PREMIUM Cheap food wins more votes than protecting farmers

Mud sticks, and no-one comes out looking good

PREMIUM A mud-slinging match reflects badly on both sides

"Perfidious Albion" is a pejorative phrase used within the context of international relations to refer to alleged sleights, duplicity, treachery and hence infidelity by monarchs or governments of the UK in their pursuit of self-interest

PREMIUM Perfidious Albion poisons international trust

The EU has lost its trade commissioner Phil Hogan (far left) who flouted Covid-19 restrictions by attending a golf event in the west of Ireland

PREMIUM EU's Hogan will be a huge miss – but can the UK take advantage?

If there is a case for fining companies over deforestation there is a stronger case for banning cheap food imports.

Johnson 'green wash' passes the buck to importers

Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds crabs at Stromness Harbour, during a visit to the Highlands and Northern Isles of Scotland (Pic: Robert Perry/PA Wire)

PREMIUM Boris drops the bluster and prepares to do a deal

PAST UK governments let manufacturing industry wither in favour of a service economy - but in the post-COVID-19 reality, the current government must not make the same mistake with food production

PREMIUM Farming and food should be key to economic recovery

The UK Government needs to focus on agriculture as a source of food security for the nation and as a foundation for a strong food industry

PREMIUM Farming lags behind other EU states on Covid-19 help