DON Vincent has got his knickers severely twisted over a complete fallacy (Letters, October 9).

No farmer I know begrudges hardworking people their livelihood whether they are miners, foundry workers or whatever.

However bad their working conditions, what they do is (or was) the trade they chose to do and are good at. (How many miners would jump at the chance to go back if they could?)

The trouble with all that fresh air Mr Vincent seems to begrudge the farmers is these days, at the end of the week, it's often all they get in lieu of wages.

Always providing they are the owners and not tenants, as long as his 'townies' queue up to buy their roofless barns they'll go on selling them.

And if, having taken up residence they could be persuaded to eat our excellent produce rather than the heavily subsidised junk dumped on us from across the Channel, that 'set aside' that he grumbles about would disappear very quickly.

Perhaps the next time Mr Vincent goes for a spin along any motorway he will look occasionally at the landscape on either side, loveliness brought about by those nasty farmers he so despises. And largely at their own expense.

Harry Shutkever

Wilmore Lane

Wythall