Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö (Nat. Coalition Party) feels that Finland needs to increase its self-sufficiency in the production of food and energy. In Niinistö's view, an unprecedented economic competition and struggle for food resources is underway in the world, and Finland needs to prepare itself for the consequences. "Self-sufficiency is something that is worth paying for", Niinistö says. One consequence of this would be larger agricultural subsidies, but Niinistö feels that it would be a small price to pay. He is also in favour of using agricultural policy as a means of supporting domestic production of biological fuels, which would both promote self-sufficiency in energy, and help maintain the viability of rural areas
Niinistö is a past Vice President of the European Investment Bank and a past Finnish Finance Minister.
The latest Defra statistics show a dramatic drop in self-sufficiency in UK food and drink products over the past 10 years as supermarkets sell ever-increasing amounts of imported produce, the Farmers’ Union of Wales stressed. "Between 1995 and 1997 Britain was just over 70% self-sufficient in food but that figure plummeted to around 58% last year," said FUW president Gareth Vaughan at the launch of the union’s "Help Cut Food Miles...Buy The Welsh One" awareness campaign. "Such a drastic reduction in self-sufficiency is a worrying trend that is having serious consequences on our farming industry and climatic conditions and we demand that imports are cut back drastically.
Wales needs to become self sufficient!
Annette Strauch wrote...
I am very much against imported products, Jeff - but self sufficiency in food and energy here in Wales I do see as a big problem. There is not much fresh food available in Wales, simply because of bad weather.
I still have not learnt where the Welsh fish goes?
There is not much good wood in Wales.
However, I always buy Welsh milk, Welsh eggs.....The NISA station in Machynlleth is good. They sell local food more and more even though I do not like food buying at a petrol station really.
Posted by: Annette Strauch | August 13, 2007 5:08 PM