Understanding mass food production

Sir, – Regards the letter from Thomas Steuart Fothringham (Credible production plan is required, Courier, November 16) , I agree the vast majority of farmers are aware of the importance of conservation and sustainability.

I also agree there is no grand plan to feed the population who have come to rely on cheap poultry as a main source of food and that importing more and producing less has a negative effect on the environment and is unsustainable in the long run.

However, some Scottish farmers are allowing mega factories to export millions of day old chicks from Scotland to Thailand.

How then does that help to feed the 67 million? Well, we import them back to eat!

However, all is not doom and gloom.

A pandemic came along and a lot of the population were locked down and had time on their hands to educate themselves in better eating habits, such as homegrown vegetables and slower growth free range chicken.

We will gradually learn to grow more vegetables commercially and only consume free range birds. Our expectations will change but until then we might have to rely on another pandemic coming down the line to make us take time to learn more about where our food originates and to learn from the scientists about the possibility of human/animal transmissions.

And to make us pause before we reach for the cheapest imported Thai chicken, born on a Scottish factory farm, sent on a 72-hour journey to the other side of the world to be reared then imported back for us to eat.

Heather Tuck, Druids Park. Murthly.