Are the NFU crying wolf?

Britain would run out of food on this day next year if it had to be self-sufficient after a no deal Brexit claims the National Farmers Union: Run out of food

This is a bit misleading as, although a no deal Brexit would disrupt food supplies, it would not mean a complete absence of imports. Ireland, for example, would be keen to continue to sell its produce to us.

It is true that self-sufficiency has declined, but I find the idea of a self-sufficiency target a bit Stalinist. If we were reliant on just one or two countries for our food, there would be cause for concern, but there are many countries keen to sell to us.

I think that a no deal Brexit would be damaging for all sorts of reason, but we need to be careful about the arguments we use against it.