Sir, – Recently in the British news was the extent of professors’ salaries, some getting more than £1m from some universities – and those that got these salaries thought that they weren’t overpaid?

It has also been revealed that SEPA spends more than 70% of its revenue on pay, and this, Audit Scotland has found alarming.

As your front page highlighted the moans of Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, that the Moredun Research Institute is also facing reduction of funding, are the top dogs there feeling the draught of salary cuts?

However, without specifying Moredun, I envisage that when Brexit kicks in, some high spending, grossly over-staffed and not delivering organisations that depend on government support are in for a shock!!

If farmers and crofters are facing a reduced income stream, it would only be fair that all the rest that live off farming should feel the pinch!

For too long, we as prime food producers are not respected by the public, we are treated like peons and the image portrayed to the public is that we are stupid, oafish and we go around all day sucking on a straw. How wrong!

Does Prof Fitzpatrick realise that many crofters and farmers are working for less than the living wage? Would it help if we used the Oliver Twist way and asked for more for our livestock in the ring, where you have only seconds to reach a decision to sell or take home – but you have to keep cash flow even when knowing that your product could be worth more.

As people at this time of the year sit down to gorge themselves, ask yourselves: Where did this food come from? And then think of stock people lambing and calving in all weathers – some of them as you are eating!

Angus A Macdonald
Balivanich,
Benbecula