I HAVE some sympathy for the small genuine hard-up farmers, but the whingeing majority of the farmers are fast becoming the sick men of Britain.

These so-called stewards of our countryside ripped up miles of hedgerows to streamline their land cultivation.

Arable farmers use large amounts of nitrates on their land, which leeches into our waterways.

Beef farmers fed their animals on relatively cheap composite food, which resulted in BSE in their cattle.

I don't know of a business that seems to run on such advantageous terms.

For instance, in the 80s farmers were paid a good price for all the food they produced by the EU. European food surpluses were eventually sold to the communist countries at a knock-down price. To reduce these huge food surpluses, the EU then paid farmers subsidies for set-aside land.

Farmers also linked themselves very closely with supermarkets, but when the supermarkets started to bring-in cheaper food from abroad, these farmers started to shout foul play.

The British farmers should organise a co-operative through which they can sell their produce and give the supermarkets a good run for their money.

L SPITERI,

Astwood Road,

Rainbow Hill,

Worcester.