They don’t alleviate hunger. It’s mainly middle-class children whose scores improve. And the benefits flow from the socialising, not the food.
The current situation is not sustainable, and undermines competition and business development in the food sector to the detriment of both consumers and producers.
The underlying motive for this tradition, though now often dressed up in quasi-medical language, is as much aesthetic as sanitary.
Subsidies, tariffs or lowering standards are not the answer. There is a conservative solution.
The final article in the author’s five-piece series on how Britain must prepare for March 31 2019 – and has less than 600 days to get it right.
Reform must be phased, to allow farmers to adapt, but it will pay dividends.
The Article 50 clock is ticking – their departments must waste no more time in preparing the agricultural sector for the challenges and opportunities posed by global trade.
If wealthy landowners fight to retain their CAP subsidies, then support for reform from the green movement could come in handy.
Doing so would be a concrete and welcome improvement to the lives of millions of people.
We should put the proceeds in a special Redistribution Fund to spend either on public services, or on poorer communities, or cutting taxes for the lower paid.
Hammering out a “Son of CAP” has its challenges, but they are more technical than political – and can be resolved.
40 million people are currently in urgent need of food assistance. The G7 summit at the end of May has an opportunity to act.
Get policy right, and our farmers and growers can, and will, innovate and seize the opportunities that change will undoubtedly bring.
The sector is already a success story – this is a chance to make it even better.
From healthcare and education to food and transport, privately-developed solutions can help ministers make a big difference at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.