Sir,

I am running low on fodder for my sheep and cattle so I phoned fodder suppliers. I was told that hay and straw is in very short supply as the ones that have got it are waiting for snow so that we West farmers and crofters will have to pay blackmail prices to keep our animals alive.

Scottish fodders dealers are hauling from England as the Scottish Uriah Heeps are wringing their hand looking at the weather forecast hoping for blizzards.

Strange how the people in different regions work – when blizzards wrought havoc in Wales, English East coast farmers sent loads of fodder into Wales to help stricken livestock farmers!

A sadist is a person that gets great delight out of the misery of others. Those that hoard fodder for an extra 30 pieces of silver need divine intervention. How about a plague of rats that have a taste for baler twine and netwrap, or better still how about the combine getting a flat tyre at harvest, or it conks for no apparent reason or the glyphosate sprayer puts out too much, and burns the crop to a frazzle?

All will not be lost. Next year will be better, we have a lot of stringless bales in the shed so you can turn into masochists. Masochist: a person that takes great delight helping others!

So is there anyone in Scotland that will sell me a triaxle load of Hestons of hay and straw?

Angus A Macdonald,

Balivanich,

Benbecula

Ps

tel no 01870602129