Britain can jettison hundreds of costly agricultural regulations which have pushed up food prices, offsetting the extra costs of European Union tariffs, according to a report by a free market thinktank. These rules often have little benefit for consumer health or reduce risks, but “create deadweight costs”, it said. Behind the calculation is a move towards imposing organic standards on farmers, the report said, which would lower crop yields. Mark Littlewood, the IEA’s director general, said he was concerned that official figures showed existing agricultural regulations were already costing nearly £600m every year in England. “EU member states face staggering food price rises unless the march of increased regulation is halted.

Source: The Guardian October 17, 2016 23:01 UTC