Wiping out wildlife is abhorrent way to save planet

Sir, – Many environmentalists will be appalled that Gordon Brown wants BiFab’s Fife yards to secure a ‘foothold in the North Sea’ (Courier, March 9).

These giant, destructive, monstrosities should never have been approved in the first place.

He seems to have forgotten the RSPB were so incensed by the hugely-damaging Firth of Forth offshore wind farms, they described them as “the most damaging wind farms for seabirds anywhere in the world” and the Firth of Forth as “of international importance to wildlife”.

They were so appalled by the Scottish Government’s cavalier attitude to birdlife they took them all the way to the Supreme Court.

The RSPB also objected to the Moray West offshore wind farm, describing the environmental assessment submitted by the project as “incomplete and inadequate”.

They added that the initiative could “spell disaster for some of our most valued seabird populations”.

The RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), the John Muir Trust, Shetland Amenity Trust, Shetland Bird Club and Sustainable Shetland, along with the majority of the 2,736 residents, objected to the Viking Wind Farm in Shetland.

The rotor blades of a wind turbine have a radius as long as a football field and rotate at 300kmh.

Against these huge propeller walls, birds, bats and insects don’t stand a chance.

The German wind insect death toll is an astonishing one-third of the total annual insect migration in southern England.

A staggering 1,200 tonnes a year. Wiping out wildlife is an utterly abhorrent way to ‘save the planet’.

George Herraghty. Lothlorien Lhanbryde, Elgin,

Moray.

Since the start of the pandemic, the nation has embraced a renewed focus on health and wellbeing, with seven in 10 people paying more attention now than ever towards their diet and exercise routine.

However, according to a new study of 2,000 British adults, 49% have “no clue” on their nutritional needs. More than twothirds of respondents were perplexed about protein and the quantities we should be consuming daily.

Commissioned by healthy Asian food brand itsu, the survey suggested that those polled were also puzzled about vitamins, fibre and calcium. Furthermore, nearly half

said they don’t know what a “correct portion size” should be. One in five believes that a single slice of brown bread delivers all their fibre needs, and one in 10 believe that an egg gives enough protein for the day.

To help sort out fact from fiction, nutritionist Rob Hobson says: “The food we eat helps us function properly, but sometimes it can be challenging to meet all of our nutritional needs on a daily basis.

“In recent years, we’ve seen more people purposely seeking out fortified foods – particularly going potty for protein. Proteins are known as the building blocks of life, as they break down into amino acids that help the body grow and repair.

“Most adults need around 0.75g of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day – for the average woman this is 45g, or 55g for men. That’s about two portions of meat, fish, nuts, or tofu per day. As a guide, a protein portion should fit into the palm of your hand.”

Hobson adds: “You might think meat is the best way to get it, but there’s growing evidence that swapping a diet rich in animal protein (such as meat, fish and dairy) for one high in soybean, pulses, nuts and grains could help you live longer.”

“My late father and brother also worked there, my father as warehouse manager and my brother served his apprenticeship as a lithographer at the Kingsway factory before going abroad to work. Their names were both Andrew Duff.

“My point in contacting your page is to flag up that the V&A Dundee is to be having an exhibition later this year celebrating 150 years of Valentines.

“I wondered if Mr Duff, or, indeed, any other Valentines’ employee, might like to contact the organiser to give them valuable information for the upcoming exhibition?”

1682: The Chelsea Hospital for old soldiers (Chelsea Pensioners), also venue for the world-famous flower show, was founded.

1702: The first successful English daily newspaper, a single broadsheet called the Daily Courant, was published.

1819: Sir Henry Tate, the sugar refiner who left his art collection to the nation which formed the basis for the Tate Gallery, was born in Chorley, Lancashire.

1845: In New Zealand, a Maori uprising against the British began.

1864: The Bradfield Reservoir, near Sheffield, burst its banks, killing 270 people.

1941: US Congress passed the Lend-Lease Bill enabling Britain to borrow millions of dollars to buy food and arms needed for the Second World War.

1945: The huge Krupps factory in Germany was destroyed when 1,000 Allied bombers took part in the biggest ever daylight raid.

1974: Kenneth and Keith Littlejohn, allegedly MI6 spies inside the IRA, escaped from prison.

1981: Sir Maurice Oldfield, British intelligence chief considered to be the model for Ian Fleming’s “M” in the Bond novels, died.

1985: The Al-Fayed brothers won control of the House of Fraser Group to become owners of Harrods.

1988: The pound note was replaced by the pound coin.

1993: North Korea pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty.

ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.

“This wee gang of mallard ducks were demanding something from my piece bag. They were on the Swannie Ponds in Dundee,” says Eric NIven, who took the photograph during the spell of snowy weather we had recently.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse.