I HAVE been associated with hunting for 30 years. The people who oppose hunting appear to see themselves as working class and hunting as an upper-class activity which must be challenged.

Clearly, for those people animal welfare is not a consideration because any ban on hunting would end in the destruction of several thousand hounds, including puppies.

The fox, which is a pest in the countryside and viewed as such by farmers and landowners, would be killed using traps, snares, poisons and so on. There would be no closed season as there is for hunting, not a single fox would be saved.

Do we really want the fox killed in this way? I think not! Do not ban hunting.

D Barker,

Askham Lane,

Acomb, York.

Updated: 09:23 Saturday, January 27, 2001