This morning’s correspondents discuss the possible threat of changes to rodenticide legislation, Dundee University’s support of literary events, proposed gasification under the Forth valley and modern uses of the humble laser beam.
Rat infestation threat to Europe’s food supply Sir,-Hats off to Struan Stevenson MEP for trying to address the new legislation proposed by the EU to restrict the rodenticides (rat poison) which our farmers will be permitted to use.
Once they get that through, the poisons available will be the quick-acting types, so rats will die in the open where dogs and cats will have easy access to the carcasses. That will mean an easier spread of disease.
Mr Stevenson is well briefed on this (Farmer’s View, May 24) and it is to be hoped that he can defeat our EU governors on this.
Farmers were urged to lobby politicians. May I suggest those of us who consume British farm produce and who oppose the forthcoming risk to health, do so as well? Of course, if Westminster had held on to our sovereignty, things might have been different. But that is another story.
Mike Scott-Hayward.Sawmill House,Kemback Bridge.
University backs literary events
Sir,-I was surprised to read two recent letters to your newspaper which could lead readers to assume that Dundee University no longer supports any literary events.
On making inquiries, I have been reassured that the university does continue to organise free events throughout the year featuring authors of national and international standing. On June 9, Yann Martel is coming to Dundee.
In addition, at the end of June, the university is hosting the fourth Dundee Literary Festival, which features around 40 different authors and this lasts five days.
I have enjoyed the previous festivals very much and I am looking forward to this one.
Kathleen Grocott.Hazelbank,103 Camphill Road, Broughty Ferry.
Don’t squander coal reserves
Sir,-It is disappointing but not altogether surprising that not a single one of our politicians has bothered to respond to recent reports on those plans for underground gasification of our vast coal reserves underlying the Forth valley.
The rest of us should not be so complacent or irresponsible in the face of this threat to diminish the wealth and potential for job creation contained in this hugely valuable natural resource.
Underground coal gasification is a widely-used technology worldwide but only in small coalfields which are not suitable for exploitation by conventional mining methods.
However, there is no example anywhere of a company being given access to such a large reserve area as we have in central Scotland (although a similar project is being considered in a corrupt, Third World dictatorship).
In a nutshell, this latest scheme amounts to nothing more than widespread vandalism of an energy source which can be compared to finding a giant oilfield on our doorstep.
The proposers of this project must have thought Christmas had come early when they came across so many gullible people in positions of power when they found all our politicians apparently so eager to support this monstrous waste and destruction of something that belongs to all of us.
Are our politicians in favour or against the current proposals which can devalue our underground coal reserves to such an extent that it will not be viable for conventional mining techniques?
The very least we can do is to leave all this vast wealth in place and undamaged and trust that future generations will have more intelligence and common sense than we are showing.
Jim Parker.9 Banchory Green,Collydean,Glenrothes.
Electromagnetic ‘health threat’
Sir,-This month sees the 50th anniversary of the first laser (light amplification by stimulated emission by radiation) beam.
It was soon dubbed the “death ray” and regularly featured in James Bond films.
Today, lasers are an integral part of everyday life and we give little thought to them.
One of their uses is in fibre optics, particularly for communication purposes.
They are favoured by the telecommunication industry because they can provide higher bandwidth, cover longer distances than electrical cabling and reduce electromagnetic interference problems, thus avoiding things like unwanted voltage surges.
BT’s recently announced broadband scheme to invest £2.5 billion using fibre optics to achieve that utopian dream of on-demand digital TV and superfast broadband for all may sound cosy, safe and the perfect solution. I am not so sure.
In rural Britain it may be possible to bring broadband to the nearest telephone exchange via fibre optics or a satellite connection, however, the last-mile problem has not been solved and it will still be brought into our homes using old, unshielded copper wires which were not designed for this purpose.
This, in turn, will inevitably lead to enhanced electric and magnetic fields, which are damaging to our health and well-being in the long term.
They will be an addition to those already created by broadband over the power lines, which was sanctioned in recent years to accommodate smart meters.
Marion Lang.Westermost,Coaltown of Callange,Ceres.
Referendum call overlooked
Sir,-The coalition government has stated that its legislative proposals are based on the principles of freedom and fairness.
The government is to legislate for a referendum on changing the voting system from the current first-past-the-post system to the alternative voting system.
Sadly it appears that Scotland is to be denied a vote on its constitutional future and legislation to implement the Calman Commission recommendations on tax powers is misguided and ill-conceived, serving to damage rather than boost the economy.
Alex Orr.35 Bryson Road.Edinburgh.