KEN Ainge's anguished cry (Letters, February 13) in defence of hunting is a desperate collection of misunderstandings, inaccuracies, wild exaggerations and sheer imaginative ramblings - the loss of 8,000 jobs, the heart torn out of rural communities, the deterioration of wildlife habitat! Where does he dream them up from?

In five years time, in the real world:

l The vast majority of hunts will have converted to drag-hunting, finding that it's an infinitely better, faster, more exhilarating sport anyway, as many hunters already know but are not allowed publicly to admit for obvious political reasons.

l Scarcely a single job will have been lost nationwide.

l The countryside, with great relief, will be suffering none of the regular trail of damage, disruption to livestock and wildlife and blatant disregard for actual country folks' rights.

l The fox population will have remained at a sensible stable level, as already happens in non-hunting areas, unaffected by so-called hunt control.

l The quality of the countryside, in traditional environmental and wildlife terms, will have significantly improved, as proven by the many non-hunted areas of the country.

l We'll all be wondering what on earth the fuss was about!

HARRY DOWNES

Lower Birch

Cleeton St Mary