Letter: Trade bullies

Sir: If the Americans are going to bully Europe into accepting beef which many of us will not want to eat and blackmail us into increasing their near monopoly of the world's banana market, surely it is time consumers took matters into their own hands.

A Europe-wide boycott of US goods (particularly, but not exclusively, GM-contaminated food), services (fast food outlets, for example) and entertainment (films and music) would bring home to a country which puts profits before health and well-being - let alone morality - that even a superpower cannot tread on everyone.

DEREK TRUMAN

Fleet, Hampshire