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		Banning air freighted food would hurt Africa Thursday, 20th December 2007 Letter to London local newspapers Let's spare a thought this Christmas for the farmers who have worked hard to bring the food to our table. I have recently returned from Uganda where local farmers explained how they were trying to sell more of their produce to Britain, which would help lift their communities out of poverty. The farmers' concern was that the shoppers concerned about the effect of 'food miles' on the environment could shun their produce - leaving Africa mired in poverty. There is much evidence to show that importing goods from warmer climates is less damaging to the environment than adopting farming methods in this country using chemicals, artificial heating and lighting. Banning air-freighted food from Africa would only cut UK total emissions by less than 0.1%, but would deny over one million people in Africa their livelihood. Please email me your views at syed@syedkamall.com. Yours sincerely, Syed Kamall Conservative MEP for London