Not because of sentimentality or sympathy, but because we need to return a situation where we can have confidence in the meat, fruit and vegetables we are buying.

And what better way than to buy directly from the people producing them just as we used to.

In the past 20 years our food supply has been hijacked by the supermarkets, chemical conglomorates, and the EU bureaucrats and politicians. Between them through greed, corruption and incompetance they have made our food probably the most dubious and most expensive in the world.

Buying direct from the farmers, and better still buying organic food is a powerful way for the consumer to say enough is enough.

I do have to disagree with Mrs Bailey's comment that UK food is cheap compared with other countries. Similar meat and vegetables are much cheaper in USA and the Far East. Worse still we are paying twice. Firsty via the taxes we pay to support EU subsidies, corruption and food mountains, and secondly via the artificially high prices caused by being isolated from the world markets.

People have different priorities, but personally I am willing to pay more for good food provided that it is goes to the right people and that I can be satisfied it has been produced to organic standards.

The Knutsford farmers' market is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

However, for this kind of venture to be sustainable it needs to be more than just a monthly jamboree.

It needs to provide a more regular and comprehensive way of shopping, and it should be aimed at providing what the supermarkets presently cannot or will not. Clearly it's easier said than done and will require a considerable amount of organisation on the part of the farmers' union for it to work. But the time is right and I am sure Cheshire has enough of the right kind of consumers to support them.

Mobberley Road

Knutsford

P J KING

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.