The purpose of my post was to show that there is common ground between walking and hunting as both pursuits require access to the countryside. The traditional support for hunting will draw on people, who have a long family history and this will take generations to eradicate.
Rearing foxes for hunting suggest a shortage of foxes, with the polarization of arable and livestock, large areas are without any farm animals, which is not the situation where those farmers and stockmen are most concerned about the control of foxes.Hunting is a poor way of killing foxes but a good way to find foxes.
Walking in mid Wales I have met many farmers, who are avid fox hunters, but they hunt on foot. Here they are desperate to kill foxes because of lamb losses, during the lambing season on the hills. Question is; Is there a need to control foxes in certain areas and can that legitimately be carried out along side 'drag hunting'?
If the popular anti-hunt interference is too radical will it be counter productive in affecting access to our countryside?
After all this is a walking forum.