I and many others who either support, live or work in the farming community find Dennis Stuart's letter (Opinion, March 27) highly offensive.

What right does he have to pass judgement on a section of this nation's community in such a way?

If Mr Stuart finds farming practices so damaging, he would be better employed looking beyond the system and discover the root cause - although I suspect his words have been written from a personal point of view rather than from fact.

The foot and mouth crisis has shown just how inter-dependent other industries are on the farming community. Destroy farming and you destroy a great deal more, not least the face of our countryside.

I would suggest to Mr Stuart, if he cannot constructively help the farming community, then he had best leave it to those who are prepared to help.

-Wendy Peckham, Poppinghole Lane, Robertsbridge