Sir, – It's nice to see Open Farm Sundays being mentioned more, I had a senior manager from G's farming who helps manage their Southern European and African farming interests as my speaker at Rotary in the spring, he was immensely interesting, and yet he took the time to explain how much the company values hosting OFS, and told us that they had approx 3000 visitors last year.

I spoke to him at Soham Rotary Beer and Music Festival last weekend, and he told me they estimated there were closer to 6000 this year. We had attended their OFS this year, and although they lay on activities for the young like go-carting, etc, it was heartening to see families with school aged children being trailered around the farms and shown round the processing factories. I was told by one or two of the staff that the questions being asked were both intelligent and informed.

LEAF provides support and guidance for anyone considering hosting OFS. It's always worth talking to someone who has already hosts an OFS. It takes time to establish any initiative, I wonder if a Monitor or mixed livestock farm with a farm shop, butchery and restaurant might eventually benefit from hosting an OFS.

On a more prickly subject, even if Uncle Sam gets a foothold in the UK beef and chicken market, I don't believe well informed British people would simply turn their backs on British livestock farmers as long as the British livestock industry continues to tick the quality and provenance boxes.

With the best will in the world, promotional activities need all the help that they can get. I am led to believe that the AHDB are still prioritising knowledge transfer in the livestock sector. If that is not the case, I sincerely apologise, I have no doubt that knowledge transfer has been a very worthwhile enterprise.

However, that was then, this is now. Given the present situation, might it not be reasonable to let those who pay the piper call the tune, and let them help decide how best to succeed in getting the great British public behind its livestock farmers

John Maxwell

Soham

Ely

Cambs.