Save British FoodEdwin and his partner left their home in Hampshire the day before the demo in order to arrive in time. They turned their trailer into a bivouac and spent the night sleeping in it with their pet dog. As a thanks from us for going to such efforts, Edwin will be leading the tractor parade.
“British farmers are planning to drive tractors to Westminster to protest against concerns the UK government’s Agriculture Bill will “sell them down the river”.
“The campaign group Save British Farming is calling on farmers to drive tractors to Parliament Square for a “socially-distanced demo” from 1pm on Wednesday 8 July.”
“Campaign group ‘Save British Farming’ is calling on its associates to drive their tractors and trucks to Westminster to protest the agriculture bill that is currently going through parliament.
“According to organisers the government is “selling British farmers down the river” with a bill that reverses many of the promises made by the Vote Leave campaign during the referendum as well as Conservative Party promises.”
Our demo is set for Wednesday 8th July. We want the event to include farmers and all people who are concerned about threat to our food standards.
We are also crowdfunding to buy banners and boards for farms and households to display around the country demanding the government uphold our food standards.
This is absurd & chilling.
It’s not just about protecting farmers, their livelihoods & food security.
It’s about *animal welfare* and British standards. It’s hardly a mark of sovereignty to abandon self-determination on basic standards.
Today is World Food Safety Day, and with trade negotiations with the US at a crucial stage.
In the US, a lack of effective animal welfare and food safety laws result in shockingly high rates of food-borne illness.
From the Daily Mail: “
Britain has some of the world’s best food safety regulations. But it’s important to remember that when it comes to food scares and crises – from salmonella in eggs to listeria in cheese – we have had a chequered past.
“It took an extraordinary national effort to reach the enviable position we now hold, with laws protecting the consumer, the farmer and our animals. We must not betray them now.”
50 million Americans get sick from their food every year.
The National Farmers Union is lobbying the government to ensure that food imported from countries such as the US which is produced to lower standards than that expected of UK farmers should not be allowed. Farming throughout the UK has high standards of safety and animal welfare and won’t be able to compete, causing them to go out of business.
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Watch Jamie Oliver on his Facebook page explain why this petition is so important.