Cider-making heritage under threat
Trevor Waddington: “We’re talking about the survival of small cider producers who don't want their industry to become history.” Fairlynch Museum’s Chairman Trevor Waddington has added his voice to the protest movement led by Britain’s small cider-makers whose livelihood is threatened by EU bureaucracy. Since 1976, cider-makers who produce fewer than 12,000 pints a year have not had to pay duty. Earlier this year the European Commission demanded that Britain end the tax relief which has allowed many small producers to flourish, and which has encouraged the revival of a traditional craft particularly strong in the West Country. The National Association of Cider Makers believes that such small producers make up 80% of Britain’s 480 cider-makers, and that four out of five could be put out of business if the EU tax demand is met. “If you enjoy the occasional glass of English cider you may well feel like...