Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

There is already talk of her being a potential PM, such is the high regard in which she is held because (no doubt) of her excellent efforts so far.
Today sees the UK's formal request to join CPTPP, and Lizz has already held exploratory talks as well as of course agreeing trade deals with a few existing members such as Japan for example.


There's a statement by Lizz in the Telegraph for those that are able to read it (there is a free trial subscription too) which is worth reading.

"This high-standards pact removes tariffs on 95 per cent of goods traded between members, provides deeper market access for services – of which we are the second largest global exporter, and cutting-edge rules for digital trade. That will play to our strengths as a world-leading services and technology hub, with fantastic food and drink and advanced manufacturing industries.

We will be able to sell more to growing Pacific markets full of consumers craving the best of Britain, whether it’s an Aston Martin classic car, a dram of Bell’s Scotch Whisky, or an innovative service like Deliveroo."

"We will be able to enjoy the full benefits of CPTPP without having to compromise on our sovereignty, our borders or handing over cash to join. This club is all about free trade, and nothing else."


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...acific-player/

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

The only draw back I can see is how far away all the other member counries are.

Using air freight will be possible (and expensive?) but the bulky stuff will go (either way) by sea and none of those countries is less than 2-3 weeks away by sea.

Still, our "friends", the EU will be having a good look, at the Pacific group, and, maybe, will have to find more friendly ways to compete.

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

Maybe the great silk road has some potential after all ??

Donkeyman! 👍🤔👍

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

I understand what you're saying, but look how far away China is.


Unless you're talking fresh produce, distance nowadays means nothing .................. or at least it won't when the shipping container system gets back to something approaching normality.

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

What is the reason for container traffic being abnormal Zaphod ??
I thought it was mostly mechanised ?
But you are right, the distance is too great to allow for just in time
deliveries, meat will have to be frozen or chilled so no problem there.
Fresh produce? Why would we want to bring that all the way round
the world??

Donkeyman! 👍😃👍

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

AIUI the pandemic stopped shipping in its tracks so that shipping containers weren't where they should have been, with some places having too many and other places not having any.

Meats have to be frozen anyway for international transport (that's one of the grumbles about the deal with the EU if you remember) so that makes no odds; can you get further away than New Zealand where some of our lamb comes from?

Fruit & veg already comes from all over the world.
We can't grow broccoli or mange tout in the winter for example, and as for fruit ............

As I have said before in these forums, in the days before the EEC and then EU we managed.
The Israelis used to take up spare capacity on aircraft just to export their fruit & veg with Carmel and Jaffa being prime brands back then, for those with log memories as an example.

Who knows if such a deal will in reality change much?
Only time will tell, but it certainly opens new doors of opportunity in parts of the world where trade is expanding.

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

The Japanese seem quite happy to send us their cars!

Such things would not be a problem, of course, but foodstuffs may be more difficult, though I'm not sure how many such things we already buy from those countries anyway.

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

As discussion, rather than argument, I can remember those times when much of the food, on our tables, was seasonal.

Spring Lamb, Strawberries & other fruits, etc.

Frozen stuff (e.g. meat) was a nono back then - no taste to it was suggested.

A strawberry from some other country never seemed as nice as ours.



Shipping costs need to be thought through!

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

You should check out the Belt and Road Project.

Re: Thank God We are Out of the EU ...

The argument of seasonality (is that a word?), that we ought to be both producing more of what foodstuffs we can and eating more of that which we produce has already been proposed and looks likely to gather pace too.
We have as a nation become very lazy with our diet, hence our rate of obesity - and quite possibly as a contributor to our high mortality rate from Covid-19 too.
That's hardly surprising when a pack of doughnuts from a supermarket is often cheaper than a single apple, is it?

In some ways some things have been changing and many consumers are certainly more aware nowadays of where the food they eat comes from and how ethically it has been produced.
As to freezing, modern technology is much-improved so that the extremely fast blast-chill processes used today in some products at least preserve far more of the original texture and flavour than they used to.
I've seen respected chefs say that a good-quality frozen steak can be better than a cheap fresh one, for example.

TBH it's always puzzled me how people can eat strawberries out of season when they're imported, because I don't think that I have ever eaten any of those which actually tasted like & had the texture of a good British in-season strawberry.
The same concept seems to apply to quite a lot of what we eat, not just the fruit & veg.
I've seen forums (not necessarily in here, I hasten to add) where the taste and texture of a huge variety of foods is still questioned almost every day.

But shipping costs?
If with those included the produce to buy is cheaper than the EU's offerings and at a similar or better quality, it's fairly obvious which will be most attractive to the retailers and consumers.
As for exports much will be to do with our quality, taste, ethics, value and unique varieties.
That's not really any different to where the UK prospers already in other areas.

IMHO I have to say that here in the UK food is too cheap.
Or at least that there is far too much very cheap but not very nutricious food easily available.
I'm not sure what the answer is or even if there is an answer, but if we have an opportunity to improve our diet and in so doing improve overall health that can only be a positive thing.