Letter: A TV nation of animal lovers

THE APPARENT pro-hunting bias from the BBC may be partly due to the way in which the Countryside Alliance has managed to make "anti- hunting" appear synonymous with "anti-countryside." In so doing, the Countryside Alliance does a disservice to those it claims to represent, by taking attention away from the real problems facing country people, such as poor public transport and a lack of shops and other amenities.

The majority of people living in rural areas agree with the majority of those in cities that hunting is wrong. A Gallup poll in March 1998 found that 77 per cent of rural dwellers disapprove of fox hunting, only slightly lower than the 84 per cent of urban dwellers who disapprove.

RICHARD MOUNTFORD

Animal Aid

Tonbridge, Kent