Sir, - In your editorial (July 6th) you rightly point out the hollowness of the recent victory of the National Association of Regional Game Council's (NARGC) in their challenge against the Government to prevent the granting of hunting permits to foreign shooters.
To see this victory overturned in the interests of financial and commercial pressures is deeply upsetting. The losers are our Irish birds. It is difficult to comprehend the Government's lack of understanding of the rapid decline of bird species in Ireland. As someone who has taken part in wintering surveys and in breeding surveys, the loss of such species as snipe and woodcock due to habitat change, is frightening in its rapidity.
To have the President of the IFA condone the shooting of some of our native birds in order to protect tillage crops, is the ultimate in selfishness. There are other well-known means of scaring birds which do not amount to killing them. Our native species and our wintering visitors are part of our ecological system and no amount of money brought into this country, from this niche market, can compensate for the loss of species from our list of Irish and visiting birds.
There was a major national alert when it was realised that the corncrake was under threat. Not many people know that the song thrush, the yellow hammer, the barn owl are among many of our native birds which are rapidly decreasing.
It is time the Government realised that money in the national coffers from permits granted to foreign shooting visitors can never compensate for the loss of our traditional game and native birds. - Yours, etc., Mary White,
Green Party Spokesperson for the Environment,
Borris,
Co Carlow.