Letter: A hedge row
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Tim Cuff's glorious picture of Devon hedges exposes the accompanying article by Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler ("Act now to save out hedges", 26 August) as uninformed rhetoric. It is as unrealistic for farmers to abandon mechanical hedge maintenance as it is for newspapers to abandon computer typesetting. This is not the reason for the decline in bird numbers.
Bird populations have shifted because crows and magpies have been allowed to rule the skies, fields and hedges in Britain. They plunder nests and eat eggs and young birds and their population goes largely unchecked.
This is happening all over the country, even in areas such as West Wales where hedges are numerous and often left untidy and agro-chemicals are used sparingly.
Some farmers have devised practical methods to humanely control the wily crow - it is these which need a page of your paper.
MIKE DONOVAN
Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments