Why must we tolerate flying fox situation?
REGARDING the letter Geoff Castle placed in the paper with his thoughts and comments on flying foxes having a special role to play in our environment.
I, and I am sure many other readers, would be in total agreement but like all good stories there is a flip side. In this case, Geoff has not outlined in any way how he expects the ordinary citizen to live in harmony with these bats because I am sure at the moment it is far from harmonious.
We have a situation at the present time where bats have the right to roost anywhere they wish in a town area.
At present in Dalby we have bat colonies roosting a few hundred yards from our central school – not a very pleasant thought I can assure you.
We have to tolerate these dirty filthy creatures messing over our roofs which is then washed into our tanks and that is a health hazard that makes one squirm.
The washing on the line gets splattered plus our cars and I can assure you that if it is not removed promptly, it will take the paint off. That is part one.
Part two - We are all aware that bats carry a deadly disease. Horses have died and vets have died and if you happen to get scratched or bitten by a bat you have to get immediate medical attention, therefore they are not in any way the cuddly little creatures we are made to think they are.
We as citizens pay rates so we can have a clean and tidy town, but for some unknown reason, our council’s hands seem tied by bureaucrats in government departments who expect us to tolerate this filthy situation.
If we lived in a true democratic country where the majority rules, we would have a law that no bat colonies would be allowed to roost in a town area. It really intrigues me that birds can be removed from an airport runway because they are a dangerous hazard but when it comes to bats, our hands are tied. May plain common sense prevail. — REG GRUNDY, Dalby
Attack on farmers
WHAT is with this continuing attack on farmers’ financial viability?
For years now the supermarkets have been selling milk at $1 per litre. The dairy farmers’ share of this barely covers their cost of production.
Now the Victorian milk producers will be in the same boat with milk processors greatly reducing their returns. This is according to a recent news report.
The federal government is now getting in on the act with a proposed 32% tax on backpackers. This will have two effects:
1. It will cost more for vegetable growers to get their crops harvested.
2. It is likely that they won’t even be able to get workers as they move to other countries which treat them better.
It has been said that people living in the big cities are almost totally divorced from the natural world.
They probably give no thought to where their food comes from. It must just appear on the supermarket shelves.
— TOBY RYAN, Southbrook
Cancer worry
ON READING the recent article in the news that the every-day spray Roundup now is seriously being considered as a cause of cancer rings alarm bells. Having once had cancer supposedly caused by exposure to chemicals, I became careful of what chemical sprays I use.
I, along with most other gardeners, farmers etc, continued to use Roundup as it was touted as being safe and is a very effective weed killer. Now the alarm bells are ringing. We all need to treat it with the utmost care.
People always ask why don’t they get a cure for cancer and why there is so much cancer.
Now we have one answer. Not enough care is taken in what products are really safe enough to go on the market. — RAY HARCH, Toowoomba
If we lived in a true democratic country where the majority rules, we would have a law that no bat colonies would be allowed to roost in a town area.