Day 058 - 30 Nov 94 - Page 49
1 herbicides and fertilizers were not being used in those
2 days or in that case?
3 A. No, because the condition of the soils as in most cases
4 in this country would not require it.
5
6 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We will have our five-minute break now.
7
8 (Short Adjournment).
9
10 MR. MORRIS: The RSPB, Royal Society for the Protection of
11 Birds, are they a well-respected organisation in terms of
12 concern over the forest environment for wildlife?
13 A. Yes, they are a well-respected body.
14
15 Q. Are you aware that they produced a report in 1985 -- sorry,
16 I am looking at it but I am not directly quoting from the
17 Forestry and the Flows of Caithness and Southerland
18 pamphlet by RSPB, one of Mr. Hopkins' references -- are you
19 aware that they produced a report on the effect the flow
20 country was having on the birds in that area?
21 A. I am not particularly aware of that specific report,
22 but I do know that they had a considerable influence in the
23 changing policy that took place in the Caithness area.
24
25 Q. So you are aware that they were concerned -- hold on a
26 second -- in fact are you aware that because of their
27 concern for the effect on bird populations they were
28 calling for the Secretary of State of Scotland to halt the
29 further planting in the flow country at the end of the 80s,
30 would that be a correct position?
31 A. They were calling for a conclusion to the planting
32 programmes which had covered about 30 per cent of that peat
33 land and at the end of 1980s the Forestry Commission,
34 entirely agreeing with the approach that was being taken,
35 agreed that a sufficient change had taken place and the
36 work stopped.
37
38 Q. If we go to your references again, it is A to J, volume 2,
39 orange II, page 737, it is tab B page 737. Have you got
40 that, 737?
41 A. I have a piece of paper with a few dots on it.
42
43 Q. We can barely make out an outline of Great Britain, yes,
44 with the dots?
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is jolly difficult. Now it is mentioned
47 it is not ----
48 A. My Lord, I do have an original document if that would
49 be any help.
50
51 MR. MORRIS: It might help. On page 740 we have an identical
52 map in terms of -- it is in the same document. Would that,
53 effectively, be the same outline of the country that they
54 are using?
55 A. It is indeed. In point of fact, the only difference is
56 that one of them includes the sawmills and other things
57 than paper mills, and the one you are now referring us to
58 is just the paper mill.
59
60 Q. Would it be safe to assume on page 737 that there are no
