I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with Struan Stevenson ("China’s cruel wildlife markets must be permanently closed", The Herald, April 25). The governments of the world must bring pressure to bear on China to close these wildlife markets. By continuing with them the Chinese show a blatant disregard not only for the welfare of animals but also for the rest of mankind. It would appear that Covid 19 is the second virus to be spawned from these markets; please let there not be a third.

Elaine Honeyman, Largs.

MORE power to Struan Stevenson's elbow on the subject of the brutal treatment of wild animals in China's wet markets, and his concern for animal welfare in general, but is this the same Struan Stevenson who consistently and often voted against green energy and environmental projects, designed to protect us human animals, during his time as an MEP?

John Jamieson, Ayr.

Rethink recycling

FURTHER to today's Agenda article ("How waste collections can be maintained", The Herald, April 27), am I alone in thinking aspects of waste collection have improved? With the ending of recycling I now see one vehicle collecting waste once per week, the waste bins are not overflowing and even street bins are being emptied frequently. Compare this to the situation of splitting waste into different bins then emptied on a two or three-weekly cycle, often overflowing with waste, and two vehicles collecting different bins on a weekly basis.

Is it not time that a properly-costed evaluation of recycling waste is carried out? Councils largely failed to meet recycling targets, not all recycled waste was used as intended and there are alternatives to recycling such as incineration which can then be used to heat buildings. The reduction on bin lorry runs also ensures less pollution as these vehicles are diesel fuelled and making one run rather than two reduces pollution by 50 percent.

Bill Eadie, Giffnock.

Ban the barbecue

AS an asthma sufferer I can’t begin to express my annoyance that a leading supermarket has decided to sell firepits for £49. When we are faced daily with a catalogue of thousands of UK and Scottish deaths from coronavirus is it not time to call for a temporary ban on firepits and barbecues?

For many with respiratory illness the garden is an important place for fresh air and sanctuary and as we are being discouraged from unnecessary travel, so perhaps it’s time to call a halt to these?

We all still have ovens and hobs and if the garden’s too cold then we can stick a jersey on. What we can’t all get is access to fresh, clean air just like they had to find when people suffered TB last century.

D Dunlop, Houston.

Wooing the blackbirds

SOME time ago I bought an old bird bath which was languishing in a local junk shop.

Much to my delight, a blackbird – now also to be named Brenda – comes and has her daily bath in it. So maybe Thelma Edwards (Letters, April 27) might consider this as an idea to please her blackbird and allow her to water her plants in peace.

Freddie Dale, Glasgow G12.

Falling to pieces

LIKE many of my vintage, during the lockdown I have rediscovered the joy of the jigsaw. I had forgotten how small the pieces are.

However, I now find that I have “jigsaw neck”. Beware.

Eric Macdonald, Paisley.