THE international price of milk has fallen below the break-even cost of many British farmers. The big supermarkets have used this ruthlessly, and are destroying swathes of agricultural production. Other letter writers have commented on this at length.

The mysterious question is why have world prices fallen by almost 50 per cent over the past year?

To answer that, one must look beyond the greedy retailers and suffering farmers.

After fomenting revolution and overthrowing a corrupt but democratically-elected government in the Ukraine, the West were unprepared for what happened next. The ethnic Russians in East Ukraine were not prepared to have their language banned and their rights eroded. So they resisted, and volunteers from Russia no doubt have joined in too.

In an attempt to constrict Russian assistance to “their own”, the West (EU, US, NATO) agreed to impose sanctions on Russia. No cheese, no cream, or other agricultural products for Ivan. EU members are happily buying oil and gas from the “evil bear”, but the bear isn’t happy.

So with no export market, the milk pooled up and the price fell. And so another fine EU mess develops. We need to get out of the EU while we can.

John Young, Westwood Terrace, York.