Dear Mrs Perks, With regard to Jo Parsons’ Down on the Farm column on November 6, she said the same things about hedges and farmland birds last autumn.

What she has said is highly inaccurate and very misleading to readers.

Annual hedge cutting is very damaging to wildlife and should be avoided except where necessary, for example for road safety.

Farmers in stewardship schemes are allowed to cut on two- or three-year cycles and in annual rotation. Cutting should be carried out in January-February to preserve fruits and berries for birds and small mammals. Annual cutting does not allow the hedge or bush to blossom the next spring, as this is formed on the year’s growth. These are the views of Defra, Natural England, FWAG, the RSPB, the AONB, the Wildlife Trusts, the NFU and all conservation bodies. Improving hedgerow management is vital if we are to stop the decline of bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects, a threat to our food production recently identified by Government.

Modern farming has caused the decline of farmland birds such as the skylark and grey partridge, as well as the lapwing, corn bunting, linnet and tree sparrow, among other species.

Many farmers are trying to improve things, for example by creating skylark patches and better field margins.

Some of thespecies Ms Parsons mentioned are not farmland birds necessarily, but are more dependent on woods, parks and gardens, so your conclusion that “birds vary between species” completely misses the point.

I hope these comments are helpful.

David Rear

Tisbury Dear

Mr Rear, Thank you for your comments regarding my column – I was heartened to read your concern for hedge cutting and the impact it has on wildlife.

As a farm deep in the countryside with narrow country lanes, we are usually criticised for not cutting more often, so I was encouraged to read your mail stressing the impact over-cutting can cause.

According to Defra's website the highest percentage of farmers cut hedges between October and December, due to the fact there is generally less chance of very bad weather.

Farmers, including ourselves, follow a strict three-year rotation to preserve wildlife elsewhere on the farm but, as is usual in November, we cut hedges for road safety purposes. I repeated last year’s commentary to try to reiterate that we cannot, and would not, cut at any other time of the year to those who repeatedly make requests for hedge cutting. Notably, both my father and our tractor driver Phil have been shouted at and sworn at for only cutting once a year.

Thank you also for your comments on our bird life.

You state the birds I mentioned are not farmland birds. However, they are birds my father has observed on our farm, woodland and neighbouring farms for years.

My father is a keen bird watcher who has farmed here for almost seven decades, so my views on the rise and decline of their numbers are personal to him, but I shall pass on your comments to him.

I wish to make it clear he routinely creates wildlife and birdlife areas, margins, patches, banks and owl boxes to help protect their habitats.

I also wish to make it clear my column is intended to be a light-hearted account of what we are up to on our farm.

I do not claim to be qualified to write in-depth articles about farming legislation, only what I see happening on our farm with thanks to my father, my husband and Phil.

Jo Parsons

Farley