Killing animals for pleasure or for the agricultural argument of pest control (Burns Inquiry) is immoral, cruel and unnecessary, no matter what format it takes.

Hunting still remains only on the foundation of those who pursue "tradition" and who still like to portray the "the old England" of the medieval carnival where animals are used for sport or entertainment.

Despite the ban certain hunts will continue to illegally hunt. A "Hunting Declaration", founded by Professor Roger Scruton, accumulated more than 50,000 signatures from people prepared to break the law in the event of a hunting ban, and how many of those signatories have or intended to break the law since the ban in 2005? These hidden crimes are tactically naïve as eventually they will make there way to the forefront of public exposure.

Lack of law enforcement, anti-hunt violence, rural locations and undermining of the Act to pursue their practices can restrict evidence gathering. However, the law must not be ignored and since the implementation of the Hunting Act, professional and voluntary hunt monitors have continued to document the activities of hunts and continue to use their evidence to successful public and private prosecutions.

It also seems that on a positive note that while the war on illegal hunting remains, drag hunting and bloodhound hunting which does not involve the pursuit of a wild mammal have become much more popular and acceptable to landowners and therefore concludes that you can have a "cruelty free" day out riding.

Maggie Toner-Baker

Wells