Quitting EU is best for farmers - UKIP

14 April 2010 | By David Boderke

THE UK Independence Party (UKIP) would withdraw from the EU and retain Britain’s seat at the World Trade Organisation so the UK could pursue agricultural trade policies directly in the national interest.

In its manifesto, it says: “For too long, the EU and the UK’s major political parties have ridden roughshod over the concerns of farmers and rural people.”

The document, introduced by party leader Lord Pearson of Rannoch, MEP and chief party spokesman Nigel Farage, and deputy leader and head of policy David Campbell Bannerman, says the party would implement policies to ‘ease key worries, breathe new life into the rural economy and enhance the countryside’.

The party says it would ensure there was no sudden loss of CAP farming subsidies, such as single farm payments, and over time it would use labelling and advertising campaigns to promote British produce and fairer food prices. This would replace the need for many subsidies.

It would continue to oppose the production of GM crops in Britain and require all imported GM produce to be labelled, though GM research would be allowed.

It would introduce labelling to differentiate between ethically-produced and non ethically-produced food products, demonstrating the high quality of British produce and UK animal welfare standards.

It would review all EU-imposed rules, directives, regulations, quotas, targets and requirements and repeal or reform them a necessary. This would, for example, ease the present ‘unrealistic’ EU Nitrate Directive threshold and abolish it if necessary.

The party would change legislation to allow more producer co-operatives to be formed, putting producers on a more equal footing with supermarket buyers, and support the new supermarket ombudsman. 

More information

Click the link on the right hand side of the story to download the full UKIP manifesto

Readers' comments (7)

  • Anonymous | 14 April 2010 3:47 pm

    If only the three 'main' parties cared as much about the British people as UKIP does. Personelly I hope UKIP do well at the election. 13 years of Labour has been a disaster for the country.

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  • eryl jones | 15 April 2010 9:55 am

    For ukip/bnp read facist. Every aspect of life - be it education, health, roads, railways, pensions, distrbution of wealth, tax and social awareness, the major european countries do it far better than we do and slowly we are beginning to realise it and that we do not know best. I pray for a hung parliament between labour and liberal. Then we will get a change to PR voting which means we will never have another tory goverment and finally, finally - the death of the british officer ruling class - and good ridence.

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  • Tony | 15 April 2010 1:43 pm

    Well said eryl!

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  • elizabeth burton | 15 April 2010 2:08 pm

    'Annonymous' I think would speak for me and most farming familiies who have been crushed for too long by the EU one size fits all - the same for colod north and hot south, just won't work.
    As for Eryll, an essentially ignorant comment when one sees the condition to which 13 years of Labour has brought this once thriving country, and he wishes to combine that in a humg parliament with the Liberal of even closer subservience to the EU - may God help us. EB

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  • Brian | 15 April 2010 2:19 pm

    eryl is obviously a very well read and well rounded individual, as far as idiots go that is.

    Brian

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  • Robert | 15 April 2010 3:59 pm

    Eryl, do you actually understand what fascism is? The BNP are undoubtedly a fascist and a racist party, but UKIP certainly aren’t. Offering the British public referenda on important matters, promoting free speech, returning hard fought for democratic rights to us, and defending our sovereignty, which the European Union together with the liblabcon crowd are taking away from us without our say so, are in no way the hallmarks of a fascist party. If you want to “read fascist” then read EU.

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  • eryl jones | 15 April 2010 5:30 pm

    To Brian - if you have to resort to abuse, you already have lost the arguement and for the record, I am a Bsc(hons) and a PhD. Hardly an idiot.
    To Robert - I am not fooled by the thinly veiled veneer of ukip. They may not be quite as far right as the bnp - but they are not far behind.
    The fact of the matter is we are in the EU and we are there to stay, so deal with it. And if you dont believe me, UKIP (who are the only party who want to leave the EU) will loose their deposit in every constituency they stand in. Hardly a ringing endorsement of public support for getting out is it? I am not saying for one minute that everything is perfect - it isnt. But the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks as I have listed in my previous email

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