NFU is now failing to help British farmers

The subject was the anticipated lifting of the French ban on British beef.

The NFU man belittled the effect of the ban on British farming, saying it was only a 'distraction', and that 40 other countries round the world also ban British beef.

Some months ago I had occasion to make inquiries into the details of the French ban.

An official of the NFU told me that he knew nothing about it, except that 67 countries round the world also ban British beef.

Amazed that this fact is not more widely known, I sought confirmation from someone involved in the export of meat.

He said that the amount of beef banned from the French market was not very significant compared to our total trade, but that what had really hurt British farming was the French ban on lorries loaded with British beef bound for onward delivery to other European countries.

This had had a significant effect on our exports.

My informant told me the 67 countries referred to by the NFU man had not banned only British beef, but beef from the whole of the EU.

The reason was the rapid spread of BSE in those countries, whereas in Britain it is dying out. Significantly, he asked me not to quote him.

Why did the senior NFU man interviewed on BBC Radio Four not mention that the French ban extended to meat destined for other countries? Why did he not say that his '40' other countries had banned beef from all the EU nations?

His final words were that 'our future lies in Europe' and that instead of worrying about the French ban the EU should be getting on with enlargement and the entry of the eastern European countries.

So who does the NFU work for? It clearly is not British farmers.

This is another in a long line of examples of the NFU being more interested in fostering Government policies than in fighting for the interests of its members. Why do farmers go on giving money to what is in effect a Government department?

NINA COOPER

Hudson Road

Malmesbury