Dear Sirs,

Last week I attended a very well organised roup in Fife.

On the basis that the vast majority of others at the sale were farmers, I was shocked to see folks just dropping their rubbish. We can’t moan about flytipping and litter on one hand, yet behave as ‘litter louts’ on the other.

The public's sympathy of farmers (and their subsidies) is going to be coming under unseen pressure over the next few years and, amongst many other issues, levels of countryside stewardship scrutinised.

We have to lead by example – and even if the man bidding for a plough in front of you did drop his polystyrene cup, why not pick it up for him rather than treading it into the mud?

Yours, etc,

Henry Cheape,

St Andrews.