Meat Cattle Deforestation.

[George.]

^I once read that beef wouldn't be so tasty if it was butchered anywhere near Westminster. That's Westminster for us, though

[Nigel Bridgman-Elliot]

> Deforestation

Suddenly I'm reminded of our own back yard..

 

[Nigel Bridgman-Elliot]

Watching a few reviews, most say they can taste the difference, so I think a lot more work needs to be done there to make them taste nice.

Related link:

> Blind Tasting of Insect Burgers:
> How do they compare to a Beef and a Veggie Burger?

Meanwhile, perhaps lab grown meat is the solution.

Or, as this suggests, lab grown insects !

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2019/06/the-case-for-lab-grown-insect-meat/

I'm reminded, how much food do we import into the UK now, is it 50%..

I guess we'll be in big trouble if all the other countries stop exporting to us, because they have to feed their own people..

How self sufficient is Shetland for its own food ?
 

[MuckleJoannie]

I'm sure Shetland would be a lot more self sufficient if the food produced here wasn't sent South and we didn't buy cheap imports from mainland UK.

[Rasmie]

We could be near self sufficient in Shetland if need be. It would take a little work to get market gardening up to scratch. We'd probably need to import wheat flour from England, and modify our diet. Perhaps we'd need to at a little more fish and lamb. But while its cheaper to import from all round the world, we'll continue to do that. My next door crofter neighbour  some twenty years ago hardly went to the shop unless for bread.

[NullVoid]

Some are worried about all this cheap American food and Australia and New Zealand lamb hitting the market ,
Some are worried the UK cannot import enough food and food prices will rise.

Can we just have a vote on this Protectionist stance or free trade stance!

 

If there is not enough food farmers need not worry about their profit if food becomes cheaper the main concern is the farmers livelihood.

A compromise will be minimum pricing where the foreign exporter isn't penalized with taxes/tariffs but MUST NOT sell for below a certain price as would also apply to domestic production.

 

So whats it going to be?

[George.]

We'd probably need to import wheat flour from England, and modify our diet.

 

They sell wheat in Scotland too, tastes a little better as well.

[Evil Inky]

We could be near self sufficient in Shetland if need be. It would take a little work to get market gardening up to scratch. We'd probably need to import wheat flour from England, and modify our diet. Perhaps we'd need to at a little more fish and lamb. But while its cheaper to import from all round the world, we'll continue to do that. My next door crofter neighbour  some twenty years ago hardly went to the shop unless for bread.

Sounds a bit grim: no sugar, tea, coffee, chocolate, bananas, oranges, or pineapples. A lot of things are imported from all around the world because they can't be grown in Shetland. 

[Rasmie]

 

  

Sounds a bit grim: no sugar, tea, coffee, chocolate, bananas, oranges, or pineapples.

Of course its grim, but hopefully we can continue to trade for goods, as long as our Leaders don't muck it up and as long as the planet's ecosystem can support the effects of transportation. However it would be better if we could grow more of our own fruit and veg, e.g. using greenhouses and polytunnels.

[Colin]

I would guess that our governments have very little to do with sourcing green beans and pineapples etc. and that most trade deals are just an "umbrella" to protect private businesses that trade in other countries.

 

Hard to think that Westminster would be buying bananas and then selling them on to Tesco, Morrisons and all the rest. 

Anyway, if they do buy lots of bananas, then they should keep a percentage to feed the idiots who get elected to the place. 

 

My take is that they are far to busy selling arms and financial services to worry themselves to much about other things

 

The "real" trade deals are done by individual businesses trading internationally.

[tarsus]

Should have kept the greenhouses at Tingwall and where are the allotments.

[Colin]

Should have kept the greenhouses at Tingwall and where are the allotments.

Greenhouses are very easily placed if you have a little garden space.  It's amazing the amount of stuff you can grow in them.  Not just tomatoes but, peppers, cucumbers etc.

 

Allotments are a silghtly different matter.  Land has to be acquired and a whole heap of SIC rules and regs have to be addressed.  A person you might ask would be Leslie Watt (Sandwick).  He might be able to help as he has been through the process.

[Claadehol]

After a request was made a few years ago the SIC pumped a lot of money into the provision of allotments in Mossbank, near the old Fraser Peterson centre. There was just one person that that made an effort to do something with it.

It was a complete waste of money, there was too much work involved for the allotment holders. They were not prepared to make the necessary effort to do anything with it.

It is now an untended wasteland, so lets not bother asking for more council cash for this sort of thing, the cash may be needed elsewhere.

[Colin]

It is a great shame that the SIC "pumped money" into an allotment scheme that suffered from such a poor take up but, where did I suggest that the SIC paid for allotments ?

 

The scheme in Sandwick was, I believe, organised and funded etc. by private individuals who set up their own agreement with the land owner.

 

FWIW, I know that there are "rules" concerning the provision of allotments that councils have to adhere to.

 

One of the biggest problems faced on Shetland is that any suitable ground is either well used, or is being sold as housing plots.

[George.]

And it must be remembered that the polycrubs that were provided, free of charge by the S.I.C., to what was supposed to be the common man, has turned out to be the person that owned the ground that it sat on.

 

Think that I'll plant me spuds somewhere that they cannot get to.

Edited September 24, 2020 by George.