THE resumption of hunting last week is a small but significant sign that the countryside is returning to some sort of normality after the foot-and-mouth epidemic, which began last February.

The rural economy is in a very poor state, with farming facing nothing short of an financial crises. A return to hunting will make a significant contribution to halting this downward spiral and, hopefully, mark the beginning of regeneration for the economic and social fabric of the countryside.

On Boxing Day, market towns and villages welcomed the local hunt to their traditional meet.

This was a great opportunity for anyone to meet and talk to people who go hunting and find out more of what is involved on neutral ground.

Locally Droitwich, Pershore, Broadway and Ledbury all hosted a Boxing Day meet and visitors were welcome to attend.

Anyone who thought they might have been confronted by dozens of savage dogs were very disappointed, for fox hounds are incredibly docile, friendly and great with children.

The animal rights lobby has given us nothing but a pack of lies about hunting over the years, and the Boxing Day meets offered a perfect opportunity to discover the truth.

JON BURGESS, Malvern.