Sir, - Your editorial of July 6th mentions that Mr Tom Parlon, President of the IFA, welcomes the prospect of overseas visitors shooting as many pigeons, rooks and other birds as possible in order to protect grain and other tillage crops.
It must surely be the ultimate in greed that these birds be gradually exterminated in order to put a few more punts in the farmer's pocket. All birds play their parts in our eco-system but as their continued existence does not produce as much cash as their destruction, it would appear that the IFA prefers their disappearance. - Yours, etc., Caroline J. Murphy,
Skeaghvasteen, Co Kilkenny.