Sir, – It’s getting into the shearing season and once again we are regaled by post and email with the sterling job the British Wool Board are doing for us sheep farmers. .

Firstly, I must say that the staff at our local depot in Evanton are always cheery and helpful. The problem is at the top.

It is of no relevance to the average consumer that the British Wool Board have struck up various and sundry partnerships with high-end clothing and carpet makers. That’s all fine and well for those that can afford those products.

I put British Wool carpet in the sitting room once and I could have done the whole house in the usual stuff for what it cost. But money isn’t my main beef with the strategies of the BWMB.

I wonder how many of the upper management do the laundry in their household? I wonder how many, if they have put their money where their mouths are, spend the hours required for laundering wool garments? I expect the answer is – Zero.

And likewise, the amount of BWMB research funding to find some way of making wool clothing washing-machine proof is – Zero.

Most of us manage to throw a load of clothes in the washing machine and hope for the best. In our house, if it can’t take the machine, it dies in the machine.

We are too busy to faff about with laundry. I would gladly have more wool clothing – and heaven knows the BWMB are forever telling us how great it is – if it could just go into the machine with the rest of the clothes and possibly the tumble dryer to finish drying it in winter.

Someone at the top needs to waken up. The long-term future of British wool is not in yet another designer jumper; it is in a pile of hard-wearing, dirty work jumpers that I can throw in the washing machine while I get on with more important things.

Beth Kendall, 50A High Street, Beauly.