Mr Elcomb’s letter appears to think I am a dairy farmer, I am not, never have been and I don’t make party political points. Labour started the boom in large scale dairy farming, by using an attempt by the EU to help small farmers in 1975 as an excuse to give huge unlimited grants to large farmers to increase the size of all ready large herds and set up new extra ones. Because of this banks and new tractor/machinery leasing companies raced to lend to large farmers, also funding their expansion.

Because of this half the CAP was being spent on milk support by 1979. The Tories objected but told farmers to ignore surpluses and go on increasing production, and continued to pay grants, ignoring EU please that these be stopped.

The Tories did a U turn in 1982 and froze the milk price, so inflation would make production uneconomic. Large farmers maintained their incomes by keeping more cows small farmers incomes were devastated.

Because of this the EU decided to have production quotas and intended to exempt small farms. The Tories imposed quota on all farmers and forced them to all make the same percentage cuts in production. Making it illegal for small farmers to produce enough to pay their costs and live, large farmers still had big incomes.

The EU did not want quota saleable – the Tories made it saleable so large farmers could use their subsidised wealth to buy extra, and escape from the restriction their expansion caused.

Financial speculators bought quota as an investment hugely inflating he price. Banks let this be used as security by large farmers to borrow huge sums for buying extra land/farms and fund more milk expansion.

Banks forced any small farmers they had a hold on to sell their quota, and often their farms for very low prices. These were bought by large farmers who resold the houses/buildings and so got the land for nothing and often made a profit.

The Tories scrapped the MMB in the early 90’s saying ‘it had outlived its usefulness and was against EU rules’.

It was obviously needed more than ever because of the supermarkets near monopoly and proven record of exploitation. And the EU said several times ‘it could continue with some changes, because it had been set up for social reasons’ – that is why the Tories scrapped it they hate anything that does good and stifles exploitation.

What the changes needed to be was not publicised here obviously to make it look like the EU was to blame.

The biggest supermarket deliberately starting a price war in 2014 started the milk crisis and now lamb as well, and also spreading to the whole of farming/food production.

The Tories said in 2010 that they intend to stop all food production support in 2020, because world food shortages would make high farm gate prices. All the other appear to have the same policy, now all parties are blaming the milk crisis on low world market price, when in fact it is entirely their fault for ending food production protection.

By doing so they have made farming a very bad risk for banks, they are all ready starting to take their money out, it is the start of the rapid end of food production.

Mr Elcomb conclusion is right but unless drastic action is taken now, it will be too late to save farming.But all the politicians do is talk empty words and platitudes.

C V Cateaux

Goodwick