Urban/rural divide a myth

Sir, - It would appear Derek Farmer (Rural Issues Misunderstood by Many, September 18) simply seeks to shift the focus of my concerns regarding field sports and subsidies by promoting the concept of a largely exaggerated city/rural divide and by questioning my qualifications to offer an opinion.

Focusing on the city/ rural divide, an Ipsos MORI poll in 2016 regarding attitudes to hunting produced figures showing that between 85 and 90 per cent of the population were for retaining the bans on fox, deer, and hare hunting in addition to the associated activity of coursing.

As I am sure Mr Farmer knows, 18 per cent of our population dwell in the countryside.

That given, and taken beside the fact that many city and town dwellers engage in, and thus support, blood sports, then the arithmetic reveals that this idea of a city/rural split on these matters is purely wishful thinking on his part designed to support his own minority views.

I would like to assure him that I had a spell working in an abattoir as a young man and have spent many years living on, or adjacent to, driven grouse moors.

During those years I was particularly interested in the management activities which were employed on this type of land.

My claim that a huge quantity of pheasants are discarded each year is evidenced by the largely pro-shooting Daily Telegraph where it was first published.

As for public subsidies allocated to these areas, I feel that the money provided would be better used developing new income streams rather than being thrown away on activities which are not in the public interest.

The fact that public subsidies find their way to helping support elitist blood sports is a national disgrace... all the more so when many of our citizens rely on food banks to eat. George Murdoch. 4 Auchcairnie Cotts, Laurencekirk.