There are only a finite number of causes that one can become actively involved in at local level, Alan Busby (Oxford Mail, May 28) will be relieved to know.

Accuracy on the point of argument is always sought and, of course, disputed.

Will Mr Busby disclose the source of any blanket requirement for the control of ragwort, rabbits and verges?

I repeat my assertion of last year that when there was an abundance of working horses in rural areas, no widescale eradication of ragwort occurred, but careful control of grazing in fields was, and is, a matter for the owners.

Control of rabbits -- where?

Grass verges require only management along winding roads. If drivers cannot negotiate straight roads bordered by flowering plants, they should not be driving.

Clearly there are people who dismiss any suggestion that humans have a duty of care towards the environment, unless it directly benefits them.

Does their God observe and indulgently marvel at the inventiveness of mankind to trash, exploit or eradicate that which is perceived as a nuisance?

Is that why a new religious community, the Free Church of Country Sports, has been spawned, promising, among other things, to 'blood' children, likening the act to baptism?

In conclusion, I do not kill "beetles, etc" in my lovely, chemical-free, lawn-free, flower-abundant, bird-abundant cottage garden. BEA BRADLEY, Cuxham Road, Watlington