Farmers exhort us to Buy British Beef, and say British Pork is Best etc. These same farmers can often be seen driving Mitsubishi Shoguns or Toyota Landcruisers and clutter our lanes with even bigger examples of the latest foreign machinery.

Isn't this a case of supporting one British industry while pulling the rug from under another?

As farmers are the most featherbedded of the lot, next to politicians, it is also galling to see so much money spent by the Government, in fact us the taxpayers, to prop them up when so many other industries and businesses have gone to the wall without a murmur from anyone.

D F Daniells,

Bravener Court,

Newton On Ouse,

York.

...BUY BRITISH, says John Potts, (November 24). I hope most readers would agree.

That is: if the required goods are available; quality is assured and prices are right. Unfortunately, too often they are not.

As for shopping abroad for Christmas presents, it is not so daft as it seems. Just as long as you don't do it during the run-up to Christmas, but take the opportunity to shop when you are on foreign holidays.

Many items cost less in the USA and Canada, and you can save money with tax refunds. Better still, why not buy British for Christmas in Britain, during the winter and summer sales?

You'll save money, spread your gift spending over the year and avoid the December rush.

Bryan Marlowe,

Otterwood Lane,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.