DEAR EDITOR

It’s not just farmers. In the 14 September edition of the Irish Farmers Journal the statement is made that “biodiversity loss is happening and farming bears much of the responsibility.”

Then, in the 26 September edition of the Tullamore Tribune, there is a black and white photo of Tullamore asking if anyone knew when the photo was taken.

The photo showed the hospital sitting out in the middle of fields divided by hedgerows, with no buildings near it. In another photo in the Tullamore Tribune, this time of a beautiful green O’Connor Park with the hospital beside it, houses in front and behind it, and much further back, a few green fields divided by hedges.

Which leads to more biodiversity loss, land covered by tar and cement or land with grass and hedgerows? Yes, farmers have taken out hedgerows to make fields more manageable, but they have also planted trees, hedgerows, and created farm ponds.

The blame for biodiversity loss must be properly shared. Farmers may have caused some of the biodiversity loss, but not most of it.