Lidl food is it REALLY this bad! 535

Yes. That's the crux ATM. But not quite the whole story.

Let's think about what happens if farmers here stop producing and UK food production drops significantly or even all goes down the Swannee. A couple of things come to mind; contributions from other posters eagerly awaited.

1. While world food production continues to supply our demand things will stay more or less as now (apart from for the out of work and maybe homeless stay in business? If yes, then those of us who are not satisfied with the mainstream could still get supplies, if not then we're saddled with what the smkt decides to sell us.

2. Now let's buttume that we export more jobs and have significantly more people put of work. The non-earning (workless and state pension) are paid for out of current taxes and taxes will have to be high enough to pay them enough for them to eat. Is there a point where the working man (as I've said before) starts to get twitchy and objects to paying that much to feed others?

3. Now, with, or without, 2., let's say that locusts hit the US or Russian grain supply or less than optimum weather reduces harvests in another major food production area - or maybe even civil unrest somewhere - factions who dislike the US (could there possibly be any?) decide to use US food production as a weapon. If supply falls below demand, prices on the world market will go up and so will prices in UK - that's if our importers can afford to buy the food for a price which they can make a profit on; that's the point - if they can't get it at a price where they can "turn a shilling" it's not worth them buying it so high prices must be pbutted on and taxes must go up to subsidise the non-earners.

4. And if, as a result, there's not enough food coming in we may have serious food shortages; looking on the bright side, people would be glad of whatever they could get and not be so fussy.

5. OK. So those more discerning of us will have kept "our" suppliers producing so we can eat and let the rest of the people go hungry? Can we? If the hungry don't take the law into their own hands "our" food will be commandeered for sharing by a caring government.

6. But we've been mothballing our food production areas through setaside haven't we? Well, if we have seed saved, then with a bit of cultivating we can plant but harvest takes a season and it's a long time to wait for dinner; and even more if livestock is involved. And we probably won't get that sort of warning.

Yes. The cause of the problem is supply and demand. However, the implications are wide and if the problem is not solved somehow (goodness only knows how) we are very vulnerable. Simply telling the farmers to stop producing will not save us.

And on that happy note........

Cheers Jane

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