I am glad the argument about organic food versus conventional produce is now being aired in the press and on radio. The issue has been ignored for 50 years. The public has had the wool pulled over its eyes for years on this topic as it had until recently regarding the BSE crisis.

But we are not fooled so easily any more. There is plenty of evidence of the better nutritional quality of organic foods.

Sir John Krebs, head of the Food Standards Agency, doesn't have a clue. At press conferences he relies on his civil service advisers who tell him what they think he wants to hear. Exactly the same happened with BSE, as the latest detailed report finally revealed this week. Has anybody noticed?

If farm subsidies are to continued at all they must be redirected. The immediate need is to support sustainable organic food production instead of perpetuating exploitative methods.

-Hans Lobstein, Marine Parade, Brighton