The first responsibility of any government is to secure a plentiful food supply for its people. This obligation has been neglected by consecutive governments since the last war. EPP will not ignore its responsibilities nor obligations to secure the food supply for this country.
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Fox Hunting and Pest Control
E.P.P. believes that, as a matter of priority, England and Great Britain should reclaim our 200-mile territorial Fishing Waters.
The Royal Navy will patrol all Coastal Waters surrounding the whole of Great Britain. Warnings will be given to ships that encroach.
Failure of ships to leave immediately, after fair warning, will result in the appropriation of the said vessel, and the crew will be arrested.
A date would be set for this come into operation and a clear indication of the outcome, should anybody care to transgress and enter our re-established boundaries.
To assist the Fishermen of Great Britain rebuild their fishing fleets, such financial help as is available, will be given with preferential terms on Business Loans
Priority is to raise fish stocks, at least in the short-term, on that we all agree. To encourage fish stocks to grow, rather than continue shrinking them by over-fishing, several ideas will be discussed with Trawler Owners, Environmental Agencies, and other interested parties.
These ideas and suggestions would include:
The banning of all “pair-trawling”, which is hugely destructive to all stocks of fish.
Enforcing the use of suitable mesh in trawls, to allow the young fish to escape.
Banning the use of nets within one nautical mile of the coastline, allowing this area to become a nursery area for small fish.
Banning all trawlers from operating within five (or maybe eight) nautical miles of the coastline, and then only with set nets.
Whaling should be stopped! The use of Factory Ships in the Fishing Industry, with the attendant fleets of trawlers, all with 80-mile fishing lines, that trap dolphins and other endangered species, should be prohibited.
These initially rather drastic measures would allow fish stocks to sufficiently recover and probably could be reduced in only a year or two, by general agreement. But hard times need hard actions! If our own people abide by these new rules, the Government will give full support and also naval protection at sea.
Stocks of Fish around our shores will be discussed with all interested parties, and a workable, economic and environmental schedule of fishing will be developed.
The Farming Industry will be encouraged to again produce the food that is both wanted by the public and economically viable to produce, in our magnificent countryside. We have some of the best farming land in the world, and it is a travesty for the EU to pay farmers to become park keepers. This will stop.
As with the Fishing Industry, in Farming all interested parties will be consulted, and in the interests of both the farmers and the public, a suitable course of united action will be agreed upon.
Policy decisions, on both the futures of farming and farming procedures, will have to be decided, and there are many details to be sorted out.
EPP will address the concerns regarding fair pricing agreements for all farm produce, farmers must make a reasonable living from their efforts.
Alternative systems to the present Supermarket monopoly buying of crops etc will be discussed. It may be possible for for farmers to pre sell 50% to the supermarkets whilst the remaining half would be auctioned via crop/stock register.
Whilst stocks remained on the register imports would be illegal. This method would make supplies available to all areas of distribution whilst securing a fair price farmers crops and stock.
Investigations into the falling numbers of the humble bee will be carried. It is essential that we do not lose the natural methods pollination.
The transport of livestock over vast distances, here and abroad, will be reviewed and sensible, animal welfare legislation will be introduced.
We must return to growing and producing a larger part of our own food needs – and quickly! It is the height of folly to run down our agriculture, with the total world population growing year on year and needing more and more food globally. The continued development of agricultural land will be stopped.
We MUST carefully protect and preserve the land we have. Imported food is expensive and, in a number of ways, leaves us very vulnerable when we rely on imported food.
Subsidies will be scrutinised and periodically reduced, until eliminated. Subsidised food from abroad will be subject to Import Tariffs.
The management of farms, which will include the containment of pests and vermin, will be the responsibility of the individual farmers. The issue of bovine TB and its transmission from from infected badgers will again be the responsibility of the farmers to manage. In these sensitive matters of animal welfare it must be accepted that the farmers judgement should prevail.
Also, and probably more to the point, is the agony and suffering of all animals killed and butchered daily, “in the name of religion”, just to produce Halal meat. This is not ‘the English way’ and does not comply with our English belief in the humane treatment of all animals.
Halal meat production will be reviewed and legislation introduced to either reform or ban it.
There are also critical decisions to be made about preserving our right to produce our own food, for home consumption, wherever possible. We must not allow the EU to bleed our food supply, and ruin our farming industry, to a level where we are totally dependent on imported food supplies. We must endeavour to feed ourselves as far as possible.
It is outrageous that milk farmers are going out of business because the supermarkets will not pay an economic price for milk. It is anticipated that this country will be importing a billion gallons of milk per year. This is a nonsense and will be stopped.
Both Fishing and Farming are natural resources that have been mismanaged, and over-regulated by the EU. We have no desire to convert our farms into “Managed Parks”. E.P.P. seeks to restore a secure and reliable source of ‘home-produced’ food. This plan is equally for the stability of the Farmers and Fishermen, and also for the benefit of us all, the Consumers.
EPP will not, at this present time of grain shortages, support the cultivation of Bio fuel crops. We realise that alternatives to fossil fuels will help both the economy and the environment and therefore additional studies will also be conducted to assist the research and development of Biomass Fuels.
ENGLAND'S PARLIAMENTARY PARTY – A NEW WAY OF RUNNING OUR COUNTRY – BASED ON FEEDING OURSELVES, WITH SUSTAINABLE FARMING AND FISHERIES POLICIES – AND COMMON SENSE!