3:44pm Wednesday 8th July 2009
I would like to ask the people of Swindon who they would prefer to have onside during a crisis, the EU or the US. The reason I ask this is that the EU seems hell bent on destroying Europe’s strong relationship with the US.
The various political and economic conflicts are building, the latest being extending import fees on US biodiesel, saying it had to protect European producers from unfair American subsidies and below-cost selling.
The EU fees will affect biodiesel sold by Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM - news - people), Cargill Inc. and several others to Europe, the world's biggest user and producer of crop-based fuels.
What the EU clearly ignores when making this decision is that to maintain this level of production is devastating arable land used for food, reducing the same by 70 per cent. This in turn forces up food prices, and leads to a more draconian approach by the EU to other food producers outside the EU. This approach is storing up huge problems for the EU zone in the future.
The EU's 27 nations said in a joint statement that they were extending for five years temporary fees they imposed in March.
That came after a trade investigation said that US producers sold biodiesel to Europe far below the real costs of production and received federal tax credits and state subsidies.
While it could be argued that such subsidize will harm the EU market, there is no doubt that EU nations do a similar thing. Britain simply cannot afford to upset the US in terms of reciprocal trade which this action will undoubtedly do.
If we were not part of the EU, such an action would not threaten Britain’s position.
ROBERT FEAL-MARTINEZ
Chairman and PPC UKIP Swindon
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