[sabrina]

I am just back from spending a few days with my mother who lives in Wishaw. My brother was over from Spain and we were chatting about how different life is where he lives. They have olive trees also lemon and oranges. He barters with his neighbours for eggs etc. He was talking about the diary cow. when her milking days are over they are put out on the hills to graze for up to 2 years then go for meat which he says is beautiful. Food waste is collected and fed to the pigs . They have wonderful meats and food is so much cheaper. Ready meals you cannot buy in his local shops as they would not sell. the pace of life is far better for you. I asked him if he would ever come back to live in this country and he would not. Too much stress, too cold, too costly and no respect for the older people by the young. He has an old tractor and when it breaks down his neighbour who cannot speak english will help my brother who has very little spanish to fix it.

[Rupert the bear]

Lucky lucky lucky .If I were younger and in better health I too would, Lanzarote would be my place, well away from the tourists. Eat where the locals eat , get food from the small shop with field out the back.

[Bionic]

It's very tempting. If only we knew what impact Brexit will have

[Rosemary]

I would never leave Scotland.

[Womble]

There's a lot to be said for having a slightly hotter climate, certainly! I just get the feeling that we're all running far too hard just to stay still these days. I wonder what it is we're so afraid of?

Food waste is collected and fed to the pigs.

Wow. So which law is it we'd be breaking if we did that in the UK?  I always assumed it was an EU directive that we'd adopted?

[sabrina]

I wondered about the food waste as well. My brother and his partner are both retired and lived in Spain for a few years. He lives in the country and they do not see many tourists. Through out the year they can attend many outdoor events which are free. Everyone takes food and drink and children are very welcome unlike here. Lovely outdoor concerts held in the evenings. it does get hot where he lives but being near the mountains can get very cold in the evenings during the winter and Spring.  Down side for me is the lizzards and snakes, ladder snakes are common. Wild bore too. the lizzards hide in the house and come out at night but he says you get used to them. I would not leave Scotland but I find his way off life interesting.

[Black Sheep]

Food waste is collected and fed to the pigs.

Wow. So which law is it we'd be breaking if we did that in the UK?  I always assumed it was an EU directive that we'd adopted?

You can feed some types of food waste to pigs and people do widely - bread, spent malt, fruit and veg, etc. You and the supplier just have to be registered appropriately. It is stuff that has been through a kitchen that can't be used.

According to an article in Country Smallholding (Spring 2018):

"following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001, the UK Government banned the feeding of all catering waste. This was in case it might contain - or come into contact with - contaminated animal by-products. The ruling was subsequently extended by the EU to all member states".

So, the rules were started by the UK, are the same in Spain as here.

[Perris]

Food waste is collected and fed to the pigs.

Wow. So which law is it we'd be breaking if we did that in the UK?  I always assumed it was an EU directive that we'd adopted?

Me too. Though I suspect we are more zealous in our interpretation and following of such rules than are most /all other Europeans.

[pharnorth]

Those old enough to remember 'Yes Prime Minister' will appreciate Brussels was always blamed for annoying laws that the British Government wanted introduced. All EU directives are converted into UK laws, that is hoe the EU works. The recent legislation is to ensure they all remain valid when we leave the EU, until changed.  The only thing that will certainly change is the government will have no one else to blame for unpopular laws. This isn't party politics it is the same for all the parties.

[Perris]

The only thing that will certainly change is the government will have no one else to blame for unpopular laws.

Sounds like a silver lining to me