I, too, want to hear from expert scientists and environmentalists on the future of farming and, importantly, I also want to hear from those with experience of sustainable farming (Letters, 25 May). Prince Charles, as a major landowner who has for many years taken a deep and serious interest in sustainable organic agriculture, is certainly worth listening to. I have long admired his informed commonsense approach on these matters and am thankful that at last his environmental concerns are becoming mainstream.
The question of food affordability raised by your correspondent must of course be tackled (and there are ways of doing this), but not by lowering environmental and animal welfare standards – that route has already led to many and varied problems. Probably for obvious reasons, Prince Charles stopped short of mentioning the proposed trade deal with Australia, but why do neither government ministers nor the journalists interviewing them ask about the environmental costs of transporting food across the world at this critical time of looming climate catastrophe? Shouldn’t that be at the top of any list of considerations?
Hilary Evans
Twickenham, London
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