IN reply to Maurice Brett (You Say, October 22) regarding hunt terrier work and the survey carried out by the Labour Leave Country Sports Alone campaign, I find it surprising he seems so unaware of the LLCSA or their in-depth investigation into how few farmers wanted hunting banned.

The results of this survey has been extremely bad news for those like Mr Brett who've tried and failed to turn country people against one another with their claims that most farmers are anti-hunting.

Only recently, Welsh farmers' representatives called on the Government to allow hunting to resume as they fear an increase in fox predation in their lambing fields this coming spring.

Mr Brett is far too much of an "old hand" at the animal rights game not to understand why a master of fox hounds could not immediately grant permission for him or anyone else to video hunt terrier work.

He must be aware that hunt terrier work it is carried out essentially for pest control by trained and licensed individuals. It also requires the landowners express permission before work can begin.

As a humane killer is used, health and safety is paramount, so for that reason alone access has to be limited.

As the necessary permission was being sought to video terrier work a colleague of Mr Brett decided to turn a successful bridge-building exercise into a cheap publicity stunt.

JON BURGESS,

Malvern.