Sir: I am disappointed but not necessarily surprised at the Portman Group’s actions given the unreasonable nature of their conduct to date (‘Intelligent self regulation… or childish?’, 20 October). We have sold over 170,000 bottles of our ale and lager for five years now and all this starts as a result of one single complaint.

Our ale and lager have been purchased by responsible and knowledgeable buyers from the major multiples and those retailers would not buy a beer they considered a risk to their reputation.

It is our belief that an organic premium beer, sold in a traditionally shaped brown glass bottle, with the Mr Laverstoke image, would be the antithesis of what a teenager would want to try to buy.

In a recent letter to me, the Portman Group now say that if a bottle of our ale or lager was left on a kitchen table, a child might like to drink it, hence it is in breach of the code. Strangely that same standard does not appear to apply to the alcoholic products of the huge alcohol companies who happen to fund the Portman Group! Just think of all the pretty colours for liqueurs and even vodkas.

As a small company, we cannot afford to have a nationwide ad campaign to relaunch the product so the potential for our losses is considerable and it may mean it is no longer viable for us to produce our award-winning beers - because the Portman Group cannot apply the spirit of its code.

Jody Scheckter, founder, Laverstoke Park Farm

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