So, yes Scotland is a country, but only in a sort of " fairytale " sort of way. Isn't that what all this independence talk is all about ? So that it can once again become a full independent Sovereign State ( Country ) again.
Nah, you're in a state over the sugary stuff you mix it with ... it'll reach a point where the Bacardi becomes the mixer for that sugary stuff because it will be cheaper
Pete, I'm jealous now, my excuse is a glass of Ribena as I can't drink and i used to love the odd bacardi ( or three )
Don't worry, as Bacardi is made from sugar cane I'm sure they'll include it in the sugar tax as well Shhh., don't tell anyone but I've heard a little rumour that @pete is now growing sugar cane It'll soon be worth more than cannabis.
Good morning Coke and Pepsi are a problem, apparently. But it seems that sugar lumps in tea or coffee are not. Neither are cartons of chocolate milk. Nor syrupy concoctions from Starbucks and Costa. Nor soft drinks produced by boutique producers. Mars bars are fine. So are cakes. So are Coco Pops and Frosties, and for that matter the remarkable quantities of sugar that infuse cereals such as Bran Flakes, or are buried in the recipes of many ready meals. All these forms of sugar will continue to reach our taste buds free of a sugar tax.
Theres a jolly good reason for that, and it fits nicely to this thread. Most of the sugar that is consumed in the UK comes from sugar cane rather than sugar beet. Historically, sugar from the latter started to be produced in France as a result of British embargos a couple of hundred years ago. A couple of years ago, France tried to stop the UK importing sugar cane, and start using sugar beets instead. The reason? Cane comes from former colonies/commonwealth countries, not the EU.
I'm not sure your information is correct. Sugar beet is still grown here in the UK and we produce approx. 7.5 millions tons a year. All of it is processed in plants not far from where it's grown so there is not much in the way of carbon footprint. All of it is used here in the UK. Obviously, products that are manufactured abroad are almost certainly from cane but we make good use of the 7.5 m tons and it's, supposedly, 50% of the sugar quota for the UK. How much of the other 50% is cane, I'm not sure, but the French would like it to all be their beet! There's a sugar beet factory not too far from here and there's a vast amount of sugar grown around here. This is the field at the back of my garden. A very common site in East Anglia and the South East.
All I could come up with online was this graph... ...which surprised me. As I understand the UK sugar market, there are two major players. They have roughly the same share of the market, ie about 50%. One makes sugar from beet, the other (it used to be Tate and Lyle) produces it from cane. Not that I know for certain. I did find something fascinating. The first canal ever built in Britain was to transport sugar....
Almost correct British Sugar (now owned by ABF) produce approx. 50% of all our sugar, from beet. Tate and Lyle (now owned by ASR) produce most of the rest from imported cane. The EU CAP imposed a tariff of about £300 per ton on our imported cane because they wanted to sell their beet to us! Germany and France are Europe's biggest producers. This import tariff has not only cause an increase in prices but almost made Tate and Lyle collapse - and the 850 jobs that they provide go to the wall. Fortunately they were able to diversify and keep most of the jobs.
Because the cane will fit in with the whole "tropical" look of pete's garden and won't stick out like a sore thumb that a galloping tax man would trip over
Not sure why, but I always used to buy Tate and Lyle sugar because I knew it was cane sugar. Its the sugar I grew up with. I think something called silver spoon came along which appeared finer, and took over the market some time ago, it says on the packet its from Bury St. Edmunds.So I'm guessing its at least British. Personally I'd still support the commonwealth if it was possible. Never understood why the EU haven't wiped out NZ butter, or NZ lamb.
