British farmers “will go out of business” as a consequence of a trade deal with the United States, former environment secretary Theresa Villiers has warned.

Admitting that she had "great fears" about "unfettered competition between domestic farmers and US imports", she said it would be very difficult for domestic farmers to compete on price.

The bit that puzzles is, well, what’s the warning about? For what is being said is that food from British farmers is more expensive than that from American - and other places around the world. This means that the living standards of us Britons are lower than they would be in the absence of the import restrictions that protect those British farmers.

That statement actually is that the “protections” to British farmers impoverish the rest of us. And when it’s put that way the problem with us all getting richer by their absence is what?