ACCORDING to a recent opinion poll, journalists are one of the least trusted groups in society. Reading Ian Drury it is easy to see why. He claims that "more than one million people" took part in the countryside march last year ("Hunters run out of time," September 10).

Even the Countryside Alliance only claims 407,791 took part and we all know that the bloodsports fraternity simply pick a number and multiply it by ten. As for Mr Drury's human rights argument, it is no more a human right to enjoy ripping wild animals to pieces than it is to enjoy cutting the ears off kittens or throwing stones at ducks on a pond.

Mr T B Woodward,

Westgate,

Pickering,

N Yorks.

Updated: 09:17 Friday, October 08, 2004