FOOD has been in the headlines recently. There’s been widespread disappointment and anger at the Government’s failure to amend the Agriculture Bill requiring imported food to meet domestic standards when we leave the EU (Brian McDaid’s Craven Herald letters, October 5), and at their shameful refusal to extend free school meal vouchers over the half term and Christmas holidays.

These issues raise questions: Whose responsibility is it to make sure that there is a safety net in place so that children do not go hungry? Who should be ensuring that the food available to us is wholesome and produced ethically and sustainably? Whose job is it to guarantee that when we shop we are supporting our farmers and protecting their livelihoods? I think the answer is pretty clear. These are basic functions of Government and we are being failed on them all.

I was particularly shocked to read that McDonalds is stepping in and providing one million free meals to children over the holidays. Whether mass produced burgers are wholesome food for children, or can ever be produced sustainably, is very open to debate and the idea of an employer, who barely pays minimum wage themselves, getting kudos for feeding the kids of low paid workers because the Government refuses to do so is pretty ridiculous, but at least McDonalds can currently boast that all their meat comes from Britain or Ireland.

Post Brexit is this likely to remain the case, or will they start sourcing substandard beef from industrial meat farms elsewhere, in America or Argentina?

It’s a scandal that more Conservative MPs haven't stood up and defended what is at stake here. They seem happy to give up on protecting vulnerable kids, food standards and our farmers.

It’s a very slippery slope and I hope they are all prepared to take responsibility for the mess that lies at the bottom.

Amanda Caven

Skipton