| HUNTING
IS VITAL FOR COUNTRYSIDE, Western
Morning News, Monday, 11th March 2002 |
| Brian Mitchell
- I have lived in the countryside all my life and I have
a huge respect for the wildlife which lives there.
Everyone who lives in the countryside believes the same
and hunting is the best way of preserving the wildlife;
if it wasn't for hunting very soon we'd have no red deer
left on Exmoor. Now that would be a tragedy. The system
which farmers and huntsmen have been operating for nearly
300 years is a good one and doesn't need changing.Farmers
tolerate a certain amount of damage to their property
because they know the hunts will control deer. Without
the hunts farmers would have to shoot the deer and
obviously there's more chance of them being wounded and
dying a very slow and painful death. By hunting them, the
death is instant. Despite what people say about hounds
ripping the animal apart, I can honestly say that I've
never seen it. The hounds chase the deer and then a
huntsman with a rifle dispatches it; the death is instant
and far less cruel than farmers shooting them and
possibly prolonging a more painful death. Everyone who lives and works in the countryside has a respect for the wildlife that live there, which is why it's so important that hunting continues. As well as binding the communities together it protects wildlife. Hunting preserves the stronger breeds - you only have to see how devastating the poor management of the badger population has been for farmers and the environment. The same could happen again and be even worse if hunting is banned. By hunting, the strongest breeds of deer are allowed to flourish. If this strict control is not allowed to continue, the stronger breeds will die off and disease will be rife. Opponents don't understand how vital hunting is for the whole of the countryside, not just for the economy but for the animals living here. Professional gamekeepers have a huge love of animals and that is why numbers have to be controlled. Management of the countryside is imperative for the future of the countryside. Farmers have to protect their livelihoods and their land, so they rely on hunts to control the population of foxes which are a pest and deer which damage trees and hedgerows which also house wildlife. Protesters have to understand that hunting is not a black and white debate - the arguments to maintain it far outweigh the alternatives. Advocates for a ban do not appreciate the worth of hunting. It is wrong to see it only as a sport - its main role is to protect the farms and other species which live in the countryside. Look at hunting from the point of view of conserving and protecting the countryside and protesters will soon see why their arguments lack logical reason. Brian Mitchell is Chairman of the Gamekeepers' Organisation for Devon, Cornwall & Somerset |