Sir, – We as farmers are not allowed to burn bushes and fallen branches (even though the rest of the population lights bonfires for festivals, weddings and sporting achievements) and as a result the countryside is a tinderbox of piles of dry timber waiting for a devastating wildfire. In other countries they actively encourage controlled burning to avoid this. Burning or rotting releases the same amount of carbon, so the carbon argument is irrelevant. Our Government is endangering lives and property needlessly with this ban on controlled burning. – Yours, etc, ADAM GOODWIN,Castledermot, Co Kildare