Juncker’s favourite tipple is in fact “Agri-food”, according to the EU

EU’s agri-budget is 36% of total, but agri-food adds only 0.5% to the UK economy

    

Latest EU report: Growth in Cognac market, but exports of all agri-food fell in 2018

Yesterday the EU released its latest annual report on the ‘agri-food trade’ – the imports and exports of food and drink products to and from the EU28 countries. The report considers the EU to be a bloc – a single country.

The report shows that the EU’s exports fell by 0.2% in 2018.

“Many key players in agri-food trade reported stagnant or lower exports and imports.”

- ‘Agri-food trade in 2018’, EU Commission, released 05 Sep 2019

According to the EU:

“Agriculture products represent a solid share of 7% of the value of EU total goods exported in 2018, ranking fourth after machinery, other manufactured goods and chemicals. Agriculture and the food related industries and services together provide almost 44 million jobs in the EU. The food production and processing chain accounts for 7.5% of employment and 3.7% of total value added in the EU.”

- ‘Agri-food trade in 2018’, EU Commission, released 05 Sep 2019

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

The 'Agri-food' sector - some bald numbers

  • The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) accounts for 36% of the total EU budget
  • That’s €58 billion in 2018 alone
  • And yet it delivers just 7.5% of employment
  • And 7% of total EU exports
  • And 3.7% to the EU economy

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org - click to enlarge

Meanwhile in the UK

According to DEFRA: “In 2018 agriculture added 0.51% to the national economy”

The size of this market sector to the EU

Summary of EU agri-food report yesterday

  • €137.5 billion of exports and €116 billion of imports
  • Exports fell by 0.2% in 2018
  • Share of exports in production values fell for the third successive year
  • Wine, vermouth, cider and vinegar was the largest export category, at 9%
  • Spirits and liqueurs were at no.2, at 8%

Observations

Before commenting on the information above, there is an important point to make.

British farmers contribute far beyond the economics

Readers who have experience of living in rural communities - including members of the Brexit Facts4EU.Org team - know the tremendous value that farmers deliver to our national way of life. Not only in producing the finest quality food in the world, but in so many ways which are never understood by the metropolitan politicians and luvvies.

Post-Brexit, there must be full support for farmers to ensure that they are not disadvantaged. One of the many, many advantages of Brexit is of course that the UK will be able to prioritise the needs of farmers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, based on our own needs, not those of other countries.

Here we have yet another EU report, trumpeting the EU’s achievements

28 pages, densely packed with charts and figures, which almost no-one will read.

We did. We try to put things into context and summarise the key facts for readers. In this case the conclusion seems to be that the EU is still living in the past when the EEC was set up, based on support for French and Italian farmers.

The EU is spending 36% of its total annual budget on an industry which the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says is responsible for a 0.5% contribution to the UK economy.

Meanwhile in the House of Commons, we have a few hundred individuals who are playing political games, denying the majority of the British public their decision to leave the EU. If these anti-democratic MPs actually knew the first thing about the EU we might be more sympathetic, but most don’t have a clue.

It’s one thing to try to overturn democracy if you know something important which changes things. It’s quite another when you really have no idea, and are just posturing based on no facts.

Our readership continues to increase every week and our articles reach tens of thousands of people. Unfortunately, less than 1% of readers make any donation to keep us going at this critical time for Brexit. Please help today by making a small donation, using one of the quick and secure methods below. We can't do this without you. Thank you.

[ Sources: EU Commission | DEFRA ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, 06 Sep 2019

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