Loss Of Fertile Farmland Should Not Be Dismissed

IN response to Ben Gibbs (Ely Standard letters, May 21) the black soil in the Fens is among the most productive farmland in England, of not Europe. Research by the National Farmer s Union last year shows that farmers in the Fens grow more than a third of

IN response to Ben Gibbs' (Ely Standard letters, May 21) the black soil in the Fens is among the most productive farmland in England, of not Europe. Research by the National Farmer's Union last year shows that farmers in the Fens grow more than a third of England's vegetables, support 27,000 full and part-time jobs and underpin a food and drink manufacturing sector worth an estimated �1.7 billion.

Whatever the pros and cons of the Wicken Fen Vision, the potential loss of hundreds of acres of fertile farmland deserves much more careful consideration than Mr Gibbs is prepared to give it.

PAMELA FORBES

NFU regional director

Newmarket.