Sir, At a time when millions of viewers are turning on nightly to enjoy Bill Oddie's Springwatch on BBC2, it is saddening to see many acres of Oxfordshire countryside turned into wildlife deserts under the Government's 'set-aside' scheme.

Fields in my own area are currently bleak and bare, having been sprayed recently with a herbicide that has killed off all their plant life.

This autumnal-looking landscape so at odds with the burgeoning green of trees and hedgerows is now devoid of birds and insects. In my 1940s childhood, I remember arable fields sown at regular intervals with a grass and clover mix to 'rest' the soil, renew its fertility and prevent erosion.

These green, flowery fields, alive with birds, butterflies and bees, were my first introduction to the pleasures of wildlife watching.

Surely this current 'set-aside' practice must be contributing to the decline of so many of our bird and insect species.

Do we really want farming methods that destroy, rather than encourage, the marvellous diversity of British wildlife?

Elizabeth Seager, East End, North Leigh