SADLY Mrs Sidwell (Letters, last week), I believe it is the shortage of cork that means we get plastic stoppers in our wine bottles these days.
If a farmer in the Altanejo (Portugal) plants a cork oak, it will be his grandchildren that sell the cork bark - a bit each year. If he plants eucalyptus instead, he can sell it within a decade or two for papermaking or fuel (fermented or otherwise).
Furthermore, cork oak roots are close to the surface and a tractor damages them; thus a donkey is needed to take the harvested bark away. It is sad that these idyllic customs are dying out, but money talks.
Michael Jackson, Peacock Lane, Lancaster.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article