Sir

I read Christine Hudson’s letter last week and the one from Mains of Sumwhere, which was on a similar theme in part with regard to overall environmental Control and policy.

One phrase stood out, “All that seems important in this country is tourism forestry and rewilding” Well BBC Scotland certainly concurs with this! I recently happened to watch part of The New Wild” on BBC 9, David Tennant commentating.

Sea eagles were covered and apparently, there are 150 breeding pairs, this was a great success story for rewilding as it was portrayed. Also, there are 85,000 Pink feet geese from Angus to the central belt, not to mention, Graylag, Canada, and Geese on the west coast and the Solway. This was portrayed as a glorious spectacle with the geese feeding on prime agricultural ground…?.... wonderful!

There was no mention of Crofters and sheep farmers in the west being affected and in some cases being put out of business by Sea eagles taking Lambs, and likewise no mention of the effect of Geese on grasslands in the west and elsewhere.

I thought the BBC was meant to show both sides of an issue which certainly did not happen here, The public should be aware and know of the effect of such rewilding and overpopulation, especially where apex predators are concerned with no natural predators to control them.

Sea Eagles have, according to David Tennant, apparently encouraged tourism greatly with the photographing of wildlife generally contributing £8m to the economy. I thought that tourism had gridlocked Sky and the Route500 areas, for example, and do we need Sea Eagle to make it worse here. The 8m will go nowhere to the finance put into various quangos for rewilding and compensation and management of Sea Eagles which is all embarrassingly out of hand.

Iain Stewart, Gain Farm, Cumbernauld