Sir, - I am saddened that once again the public is being misled about the truth about farming. The lucky public at the NFU roadshow in Darlington were able to milk a wooden cow and see baby chicks. The milk that we drink comes from cows that are milked by machine.

Milk comes from lactating cows, ie cows that have given birth. Offspring are removed, often only 12-24 hours after birth. This in itself causes distress. As a result of having to over-produce vast quantities of milk, cows often suffer painful disorders such as mastitis (inflammation of the udder).

Dairy cows have to perform the task year after year of producing offspring and over-producing milk for the consumer. Once they are past their best, they are slaughtered.

The cute chick on display at the roadshow is nothing like the average chick that spends its short life on an intensive farm. Chicks are sexed, and the males killed (gassed - a slow death for any creature). At around 18 weeks, they are placed in battery cages and debeaked to stop pecking.

Most battery hens spend around one year in laying cages before going for slaughter. For their entire lives they stand or crouch on bare sloping wire, often suffering severe damage to feet and claws, always enduring discomfort and distress.

We are being encouraged to consume "light" lamb. Light lamb is three-four months old, much younger than we would normally consume. These baby lambs would have been destined for very long trips overseas to other European countries. Transportation for these lambs, as with all other animals, is highly stressed, painful and often results in death. They can travel for many days before reaching their final destination, often without any breaks.

I understand the need to buy British, and do so myself most of the time. I understand the need to support British farming, but please let us have honesty, and let us see a change to cruel farming practices and move forward to more humane and kinder methods.

We need to move away from intensive farming practices, and we need to stop the transportation of live animals over long distances (both here and abroad). By being more humane to our animals, we can only benefit in the quality of the food that we eat.

KATHY BARLEY

Pierremont Crescent

Darlington

Jack-the-lad?

Sir, - As an ex-Second World War warrior and long-standing Conservative, I withdrew my support from the Conservative Party in 1994 because of the disastrous misrule by John Major and his treasonous clique following the mean betrayal of Margaret Thatcher. I gave 22 specific reasons for my resignation.

Among those who had ministerial experience at the time was Jack-the-lad Kenneth Clarke, who now has had the almost unimaginable insolence to offer his questionable services as the Europhile leader of a most patriotic and quite palpably Eurosceptic party.

A correspondent last week (D&S, Aug 28) suggested that Clarke, as leader, would make mincemeat of the lightweight Labour government. How mistaken! Clarke would more likely join with Labour in the destruction of what remains of our sovereignty as a nation.

My own choice is simple. I shall have no more truck with the Conservative Party should Clarke be selected now.

CHRISTOPHER HORN

Vine House

Dishforth.