Letter: Farmers' suffering

Letter: Farmers' suffering

Sir: There is an implication from James Erlichman's article that it is somehow wrong for farmers to produce for the market and make a profit. Why?

Would he repeat his diatribe to the hill farmer, who is living on an average net farm income of pounds 5,700 year or, if you take the hours worked, officially living below the government poverty line.

Is he aware of the suicide rate in agriculture - apparently one of the highest of all occupations.

Farmers have nothing to hide. You will find that our welfare standards are of the highest order. Compare us with the rest of Europe and you will find that the controls of production and the bureaucracy inevitably put us in an uncompetitive position.

Put your money where your mouth is, buy UK produced food, and give us a chance to compete on level terms with our competitors.

JAMES DICKSON

Flamstead ,

Hertfordshire