Michael Russell, Scotland’s cabinet secretary for constitutional affairs spoke to the Financial Times where he revealed that the SNP government are willing to battle Westminster in the courts to keep control of their food and agriculture market.
As far as I can see, only Edinburgh Live is covering this despite its huge significance for the lived experience of millions of Scots. BBC Scotland today:
More from the Edinburgh Live report:
Westminster plans to seize the “UU internal market” and create new post- Brexit powers that would see them enforce the food standards in both Scotland and Wales, reports the Financial Times. But in the biggest fight between Edinburgh and London rule since the Brexit vote, Scotland plans to refuse any powers imposed upon their food market and would take Westminster to court if they tried to implement it.
Aldi and Waitrose are among the supermarkets saying they will also refuse to comply with legislation that would drop the standards of food they sell. Previously Scotland and the rest of the UK were forced to adhere to strict EU standards, but now there are fears over post-Brexit food standards dropping, with particular worry over the introduction of controversial chlorinated chicken.
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/uk-food-standards-row-edinburgh-18560543
Which court?
Experience has shown that the Supreme Court in England will either say that it is a political matter and not for them to decide or agree that Westminster can override devolved governments when it wishes.
It is performing the function it was setup to do,namely to keep Scotland in it’s place.
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Fight them on the border
Fight them in the fields
Fight them in the glens
Fight them in the Isles
And if they come at us from hell
Go in and kick them out
For that place is insufficiently low for them
It will be long with blood sweat and tears
And in the end their shall never be a surrender
They will so,
Go meet them head on
Know thy Foe
Tis our food,landsSeas ,peoples and our future health we stand for
This is not negotiable END OFF
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I like your style
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Has everone forgotten how a drop in standards in the food chain resulted in BSE
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Not forgotten and that was the time of the Tories as well ,remember was it Rifkind who fed his daughter a hamburger??
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Nope…that particular hiatus was all John Selwyn Gummer’s own construct. (Now Lord Deben…deadend more apt).
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No it was not Rikfind but it was Tory Agri minister John Gummer
Seems as far as Tories concerned it is essential that you Must display a propensity to display stupidity even more today to climb the greasy Westminster poll
However with regards BSE it is common Knowledge to NEVER partake of Sheep Brains in the Western Isles because if you do you will go Mad with a scourge they called Scrapie
However the greedy market forces so worshiped by the Scrapie ravaged Tories
Came up with the money making of a idea
Of putting Sheep brain into cattle cake
Result well we all know how that ended up
In becoming a Huge money losing enterprise proving beyond doubt who truly are the Mad Ones
However and a little fact is that the Scottish Beef Industry was a disproportionate loser
And despite their only ever being 1 case of BSE in Scotland
How was that
Because a Aberdeen Angus stirk I.E.a young calf for fattening for market
Was sold to a farm in England and returned to Scotland infected with BSE
Result devastation for our Industry which overnight laid to waste at a stroke our
Reputation for the highest quality of breeding,rearing and production of the finest in the World,Which took years to recover from
Their used to be a converted German ferry weekly used to come to Stromness in Orkney and take off 400 head of the prime of Orkney live beef cattle
Sunk straight away was the Orkney beef cattle Industry
And how many know that France was well aware of all that of what I speak here
And announced that despite The E.U.ban on our beef that France would accept any accredited Scottish beef
Westminster vetoed straight away even before matter was brought before the European Parliament
Ah such are the benefits of this Precious Union
Well for England anyway it is because
Despite being the prime cause of our collapse they could not stomach Scottish
Farmers being given a well earned and deserved advantage over their own farmers
I Know all too well Who are our bloody Foes are and continue to be
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Think it was John Gummer.
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Tweets.
“replying to @pmdfoster
@pmdfoster
I have read that the UK government can legislate to make supermarkets withhold country of origin information from their products . I can’t see how they can . Do you know if they could please ?”
“If labelling compliance is in the US FTA (which it will be), then the govt will have to legislate and supermarkets that do not comply will be prosecuted.
US do not want “unfair” competition.
No.10 already on its marketing campaign -focus group testing is already underway.”
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Alas, it’s not just the Chlorine-washed news that the Brit Nits send north that is the problem.
The poor creatures that exist in the big shed at Westminster, live jam-packed together, force-fed food high in cholesterol and drink large quantities of mind altering liquids. They seldom see daylight.
In Scotland, there is a problem with bloating of the Brit Nits due to foods high in hormones, steroids and other “substances”.
The slab-like appearance of Briggs, Carlot, Ruthie, Ruthie, Big Bahookie, et al, may not be a coincidence.
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But, on the whole, this is a GOOD fight for Scotland to have.
The Tories arguing in court to drop standards of agriculture and food production. Yup, that’ll please farmers and Scottish producers.
Perhaps they hope farmers go broke—lots of cheap land for City slickers to become Country gents–swan about in tweeds with a gun dog and Designer wellies.
Oh, Hi Jack already did this? Well I never!
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Well, as I understand it, Scotland already has some slightly different food rules to England, despite them both being within the EU scheme.
Namely on unpasteurized (i.e. raw) milk. It can be sold in stores in England, but I understand that it is illegal to sell it in Scotland. However it can be bought mail-order from England, and shipped here.
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I don’t know if any here have seen this guy on Youtube who regularly attacks Bo-Jo and the Tories which is perhaps relevant to this topic. If I remember correctly it was wee Govie last year that was refuting any suggestions that all these powers under the Sewell Convention would not be coming back from Brussels to Scotland. It seems not… the deceit just goes on and on.
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Nope…that particular hiatus was all John Selwyn Gummer’s own construct. (Now Lord Deben…deadend more apt).
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You don’t have to buy the chickens so what’s the problem
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If Chlorinated Chicken gets into the UK it will first appear in cheap meat pies and schools dinners, which to me is not okay. This isn’t about Scotland versus England Food Standards if it is fought that way we will all lose. Chlorinated Chicken is just the first salvo and then it will be Genetically Modified crops and Hormone fed Beef. UK farmers will find it hard to compete against might of an American trade deal. Even if Scotland gets its independence Hadrian’s Wall will not stop GM crops in England contaminating Scottish crops, ask Canada about their experience being a neighbor to GMO’s. It lots of surveys 72% of UK adults (the adult population in the UK is 53 million) say they would not buy chlorinated chicken or GM food from supermarkets and yet only 2.5 million people so far have been bothered to sigh any of the 5 petitions to Save Our Food Standards. 328 Tories voted down an amendment to protect our EU high Food Standards in the Agriculture Bill going through Parliament. Just as in the Brexit vote it suits Tories and their vested interested for the UK to be divided and squabbling about other issues as they change laws to make money.
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