Comments on: France and Farming

By: George Beckett

George Beckett — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 13:04:37 +0000

Boris, do not be surprised by French attitude to the E.U and its rules, those rules are for others, not France, she breaks them at will ( British beef, stability pact etc ad nauseum). A retired Belgian diplomat told me 19 years ago, sitting in a yacht cockpit in St Malo on a hot summers evening ‘George, remember my words, The E.E.C. (as it was then)was set up by the French, for the benefit of the French and as long as you remember that, all else over the years will fall into place’.
Well my belgian sailing mate has been dead some ten years now, but I have never forgotten his words, they are proved over and over by the passage of time. Will the E.U as an institution survive if (God forbid) France ever became a net contributer and stopped sponging of her neighbours?

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By: Macarnie

Macarnie — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 22:58:53 +0000

If one slightly changes the punctuation of that part of the lead line, ” So, what has France done for farming?” to, “So what! Has France done for farming?” The answers would differ slightly. To the first question , the answer is as stated above, ” Given us the hated CAP”.
The simple answer to the second question , is ,”Yes.” It is now 200 years , give or take a year or two, since the sugar subsidy was introduced by the Napoleonic regime, and they are still at it, leeching the last sou out of everyone elses’ pockets, including all those sugar producers in Africa and other third world countries. Sugar beet is big business, and it pays. Why must Europes’ constant overproduction be subsidised, at the cost to the third world?

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By: Macarnie

Macarnie — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 12:22:51 +0000

Why do you think that they are so against the reform of the FFEP, oh oh! That should hsve read CAP. The FFEP is the French Farmers Enrichment Policy, whatever was I thinking about?

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By: David Russell

David Russell — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 10:28:36 +0000

I just returned from holiday in a rural area of France, and every farmer has at least two tractors (of the extremely large variety) and a combine harvester (yes, those huge things). Plus I’ve never seen more top-of-the-range Mercedes cars in my life.

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By: Eurochimp

Eurochimp — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 21:41:14 +0000

Eurochimp says relax!

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By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 21:48:02 +0000

hey- hey Edward – let’s not be too anti-French… or xenophobic for that matter, we are just trying to preserve what precious few interests we have in this country

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By: Macarnie

Macarnie — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:59:34 +0000

We most certainly have mechanised , efficient agriculturalists, big farmers,They are,( nearly all ), thank goodness, prosperous;they husband the landscape, as well as the fields of produce, both animal and vegetable. Without these farmers the countryside would be a whole lot the poorer.

We cannot go back to tne era of the horse driven implements,( not quite yet anyway,) even though the idyllic postcard views, from way back then, were so beautiful: not to mention J .Constable’s wonderful, pre mechanisation landscapes. On the other hand , the poor hill farmer has to rely on subsidies. The terrain,and weather, much as it hurts me to admit it, is hardly B Liar’s fault, though , if he were given a chance, he would probably add to their burden , by appointing another totally unsuitable token person as Minister for Bothies and allotments.

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By: Edward Warren

Edward Warren — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 14:59:01 +0000

Oh what a magnificent article! Just what we wanted,a good old rant at the French! Fabulous. But it raises some interesting points. Thanks to Blair and Labour, we have no agriculture anyway.
Can’t wait until the next article. Should be a cracker!
Best wishes Boris
Ed

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By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 13:07:37 +0000

Small point of order; on Breakfast this morning it was mentioned that the cost of eating in whichever French restaurant it was they featured, which has got 3 Michelin stars, is about 200-300 per head. Which would mean that anyone dining there would spend the wage of your average Mozambique worker each. A shocking statement, and one without any justification except greed.

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By: jaq

jaq — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 19:27:12 +0000

Anyone who descends to such cheap jibes with nothing more substantial to say is just making himself ridiculous. What did Boz say about him? something like: ‘it would take a heart of stone not to laugh’

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