READING all the opinions in The Herald on climate change and food fads like Veganuary I felt compelled to add my own comments.

I was born at the end of the Second World War and was brought up on a dairy farm by loving parents who were hardworking and content with life. They valued what they had as, having lived through the war, they had witnessed the pain of losing friends and family and the hardships involved in daily living. That’s what I call stress – the most over-used word in today’s vocabulary.

There was no climate change crisis as nothing was wasted – Mother sold eggs and delivered them in paper bags which had been recycled; pulses and oatmeal were purchased and stored in household containers; water was drunk from the tap; chicken was cut, eggs chopped and butter spread on bread with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn’t seem to get food poisoning; our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but I can’t remember getting e-coli; a small bag of sweets was a weekly treat and we burned off the calories playing games outside or helping with the farm work. There were no family holidays, just an occasional day at the seaside, but we didn’t feel deprived.

I married a dairy farmer and we also worked hard on the farm and reared our family on the same principles and values handed down to us. Our diet still consists of porridge, homemade soup and good plain fayre, which includes beef, lamb, poultry, dairy products and home-grown vegetables. It has done us no harm. Anything we have has been achieved through our own efforts and just learning to “get on with it” when times were difficult.

Finally, I have to comment on a fact which has not been reported regarding plastic waste. Why are restaurants still using these tiny sealed plastic containers which contain about two teaspoonfuls of milk when you purchase tea and coffee? What an utter nonsense. The money saved could go towards paying dairy farmers more for their milk. It would be wonderful to read more positive reports about farmers being valued for their hard work in producing quality beef, lamb and dairy products. Food is a necessity of life and there is a fine line between too much and too little.

Let us all get back to the basics and use some common sense. No harm in hoping.

Isabell Montgomerie, Ochiltree.