SINCE the outbreak of foot and mouth disease there has been much comment in the media over the industrialisation of farming and the possible need that in future we may all have to pay more for our food in order to produce a 'greener' product.

It is undoubtedly true that the movement of large numbers of stock across the country either from markets to farms or farms to slaughterhouses is one reason why the disease is now so widespread.

The virulence of type O strain and the fact the infection had been present for probably two to three weeks on the original farm before being recognised have contributed to this being a particularly severe outbreak.

Earlier this week I bought a litre of milk in my local supermarket, which cost 52 pence. The farmer producing this will have received 19 pence, leaving the dairy who collect the milk and the supermarket with 33 pence.

Food in the UK is already some of the most expensive in the world. Any further increase in price would merely lead to retailers making an even larger margin.

As a farm vet it is frequently very frustrating offering clients advice on animal health issues, much of which is not implemented simply because farmers feel they can't afford to.

The foot and mouth outbreak may mark a sea change in farming in the UK and the rest of Europe. Not the least of this should be some form of redress between what the consumer pays and what farmers receive.

Andrew Schofield,

The Minster Veterinary Practice,

Salisbury Road, York.

...AS consumers we must take more responsibility for the awful state of our food production. It's all too easy to put the neat little packages of meat into our shopping trolleys without ever thinking how they are produced.

If cheaper meat for me means pain and suffering for animals reared by unscrupulous food producers then I want none of it.

Supermarkets presume our wish for cheaper meat. I for one do not want cheap meat, I want good quality meat that has been sympathetically reared and humanely killed. I prefer to buy meat from farmers markets or local butchers who only buy from trustworthy farmers, of which there are many in our area.

It's time to cut out the greedy middle man, supermarkets, who are dictating ridiculously low prices to producers in order to make vast profits. Don't be fooled by 'pretty' packaging, pictures of contented cows in the field and chickens running free. If we are what we eat then we must make sure it is of the very highest quality.

Pam Egan,

North Lane,

Malton Road, York.

...THE foot and mouth epidemic is a catastrophe to the farming community already struggling to make a living after the effect of BSE and the wettest autumn and winter I have ever known.

Now that the problems the farms are suffering is affecting every man, woman and child in this country by restricting their movement, could I ask for some good to come out of this catastrophe? Could we all become more aware that we have a responsibility to keep our town and countryside clean and litter-free? This means not dropping even a sweet wrapper.

This country is filthy. The rubbish everywhere is a hazard to humans and animals. People are concerned about the rat population growing, but we are responsible because of all the food that is thrown down and not discarded properly in secure bins.

Mrs R Hall,

Wolsey Drive,

Bishopthorpe, York.

Updated: 10:06 Saturday, March 03, 2001