I AM in total agreement with J C Brayshaw's view on fox hunting (Letters, December 4).

I come from the Scottish Borders which is greatly dependent on farming and can therefore appreciate farmers' views on livestock being killed by foxes.

However, no animal deserves to be hounded for hours and then ripped to shreds while alive. If culling is needed, or a particular fox is a problem, shoot them humanely.

Since the hunting ban, in Scotland they do still take place and there hasn't been the huge loss of jobs and economic downfall that was predicted. The hunts simply chase humans instead.

What is also often overlooked is that some farmers/land-owners don't give the hunt permission to cross their land. During breeding time, certain animals get very distressed by loads of horses/riders stampeding through the middle of them. This is often totally ignored in the heat of chasing a fox, sometimes with devastating results. Again, this can be easily controlled with drag hunting.

Drag hunting can provide as much fun and excitement as a traditional hunt. The only thing missing is the cruelty.

It has to be the way forward in a civilised society.

SC Gray,

Garfield Terrace, York.

Updated: 08:42 Wednesday, December 08, 2004