I'VE been following the comments from local people regarding the amount of traffic which would be caused by a new feed store warehouse proposed to serve a dairy farm at Bank Newton. (Planned new farm building needed to provide 'food security', Craven Herald, June 13).

The applicants cite ensuring food security and not having to rely on imported food and possible shortages and reduction of carbon footprints. All the approach roads whether from Gargrave or West and East Marton or Nappa are narrow, in most cases tight enough to make even passing a cyclist precarious. The shed would be twice as long as Skipton Swimming Pool.

However, our concern is the milk production process at Bank Newton. We read that some 500 cows are milked three times a day and that most of the herd of milkers and calves never go out to pasture or the open air. They are inside all their working lives, which will be not many years before the all important yields drop and they are replaced by another set of milkers.

Whether they can then walk far after life on this robotic milk round is uncertain. Their next contribution will come as meat after the abattoir has taken its cut. Their offspring by this time are doing their stretch in the milk factory. Not a life in the nearby Yorkshire Dales fields but at least they are warm and dry, would be the, response to this agricultural prison.

J and J Simpson,

Low Bradley