YOU may remember the other week when I wrote about daft laws and regulations coming out of Brussels, I said that "perhaps we ain't seen nothing yet". I was not wrong, because it does get worse. What do you think about this?

When yet another new EU regulation hits us at the end of the month it is estimated to cost British retail food businesses more than £50 million. So that's all right then.

It all has to do with the Animals' By-Products Regulations. Refusal to accept that what you and I know to be food stuffs are foodstuffs, any which are not sold will be classed as animal by-product waste and, yes, you've guessed it, will have to be disposed of at enormous expense by incineration or rendering instead of straightforward disposal as happens at present.

It appears that all uncooked meat is to be declared as waste so that someone with say an odd packet of sausage unsold in their shop each week for a year could be looking at a bill of more than £800 for decreed disposal.

We ought to be able to expect the Government to recognise this for the nonsense it is and kick it straight back to Brussels; but don't hold your breath. I have no way of knowing, but do you suppose our people would vote for it? And, worse than that, if they did vote for it, do you suppose they got paid as well?

I understand it could still be up to the Government to decide if meat and fish are food. You and I already know the answer to that. But if our wonderful government decides meat and fish are not food then they will be responsible for hitting the food retailers of Britain with yet another stupid and unnecessary cost.

We must not forget the bureaucrats at DEFRA in all this for, if it all happens, and it looks like it will. You could say it does not look so good for their understanding of the food industry and the way it treats those it is supposed to represent.

I'll tell you another thing that should not be happening. I believe I told you that all too often farmers were having to wait, in some cases months, to receive payments due to them on specific dates - all this at a time when the agricultural industry is on its knees and with large numbers being forced to get out. What do you make of this?

I understand that MPs were told about a situation where 100,000, yes can you believe it, were still awaiting approval after FIVE months. A fifth of claims under one programme were paid so late they missed even the most generous deadline set by the EU. While farmers were wrestling with budgets and overdrafts, good old Brussels were busy imposing yet another fine of £14 million with the tab to be picked up by the British taxpayer. I'm saying nowt.

Dialect word: Gradely, meaning good.

Thought for the day: A wet and windy May, fills barns with corn and hay.

May 29, 2003 14:30