Sir – A letter calling for the support of our farmers (August 30) unfortunately fails to raise some key issues about modern farming.
Firstly, farmers have for many years used their animals as the means to maximise profit by industrialising the process of farming. This results in suffering on an enormous scale, as animals are used as nothing more than producing units to be killed when they are no longer of financial worth. Farmers, far from being the guardians of our countryside, pollute the air, soil and water bodies on a huge scale.
The cost to bio-diversity from modern farming is huge, whether to birds, mammals or insects. To add to this, farming is among the most heavily subsidised industries in the UK through the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. Farming needs a radical overhaul for the good of animal welfare, the environment and consumers.
Paul Hughes, Carterton
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here