Letter: Trees on the march

PATRICK NAISH (letter, 4 March) asks what will happen to the land if farmers go out of business. The answer is simple: forestry. Foresters have been critical about agriculture for decades, particularly the dependence of farmers on subsidies (conveniently ignoring the tax concessions and planting grants available to forest owners).For them the current crisis is long awaited.

Has the Government even considered alternatives to agriculture over much of the uplands of this country? Aside from the obvious implications to birds such as the skylark, the proposed right to roam becomes of academic interest if it involves roaming through thicket-stage Sitka spruce.

JOHN LLOYD

Llandovery, Carmarthenshire