RECENT reports of the horrific new concept of a proposed "super dairy" containing tens of thousands of cows in near battery conditions surely cannot be tolerated.

It seems impossible that such a dreadful idea is being seriously considered when the production of eggs using thousands of hens kept in similarly unnatural conditions has finally been outlawed out of consideration for the animals' welfare.

What is suggested is certainly not natural and cannot be in the cows' best interest, no matter how the concept is presented with honeyed words in promoting it. This is all about money and someone's idea of "efficiency", and represents an attack on the way of life of this country – not just its farming community, but all of us.

What happens to the countryside when smaller farmers are driven to extinction and are no longer there with their animals that keep our scenery looking the way it has done for centuries? Who cares about the number of farmers thrown on the scrapheap or the damage to our way of life?

It seems "progress" is unstoppable unless public opposition can be mobilised against such a horrible concept. Also, what is to happen to our indigenous dairy industry? The spokesman for the idea made it part of his case that dairy farms are daily going out of business anyway, so what does it matter?

He suggests it is a natural process and that if we are to retain an efficient dairy industry the only way forward is this "super dairy". I would like to hear what our present dairy industry has to say about that. Surely this is a step too far.

I believe the supermarket principle is responsible for things moving in this direction, as the bigger ones have for years refused to pay a fair price for milk from farmers, the producers of our dairy products. The bigger supermarkets alone are the cause of farmers now going out of business. It is nothing to do with what the public will pay; it is the ruthless competition between supermarkets that helps them to drive the prices down – and well they know it.

They are no doubt cheering at this "super dairy" concept as it suits them to buy vast quantities of milk at low prices from one supplier. This cannot be allowed to happen, and all the opposition possible must be mobilised against it.

What a nightmare concept the future is for this country if this is permitted to go ahead. What will our children be left with when the countryside is empty?

Graham Ward

Okehampton