Rural issues misunderstood by many

Sir, - I refer to the letter from George Murdoch (September 13) that attempts to take me to task for expressing a view in support of fieldsports in Scotland.

I do wish that Courier correspondents, when expressing opinion, could draw upon their own personal experiences and observations instead of simply quoting highly subjective and highly selective statistics and un-researched comment from others.

Secondhand comments are provided, by Mr Murdoch, to justify his argument on matters of food safety and animal welfare, but we can be fairly sure that Mr Murdoch has never, himself, set foot inside an abattoir, or attended a grouse shoot to see for himself what actually takes place.

He blithely asserts that present Government subsidies are perfectly adequate to support landscape maintenance in Scotland without any apparent understanding of how grant maintenance works.

He claims that thousands of tons of pheasants go to landfill each year......where is the evidence ?

Those who engage in field sports and who live and earn their living in the countryside have a far deeper compassion for animal behaviour than those who live an urban lifestyle and shout from the sidelines encouraging others to move into the 21st Century.

It would be more relevant if Mr Murdoch and others took the trouble to improve their personal education and experience on the matters about which they choose to criticise others.

Derek Farmer. Knightsward Farm, Anstruther.

Picture: DC Thomson A Glorious 12th grouse shoot near Glenclova.