Western Daily Press. . Features/Letters

I rather think Chris Rundle has missed the point about bovine TB ("Excuses, excuses, excuses", Western Daily Press, December 12).

It is not a vaccine for the badger that is needed, but cattle. TB is also carried by deer, so what a task that would be.

Cattle can be restrained in a crush which are now used by farmers.

I wish farmers would put pressure on Defra for a vaccine. It has been promised for years - I think the figure is still 10 years.

Pamela Dean
Stroud

Reply published 2nd. January 2008

Editor, . The input of well-intended animal lovers like Pamela Dean is not only naive, but foolhardy in the extreme. Her letter once again exposes her ignorance of the complexities of producing any vaccine; let alone one for Mycobacterium-bovis. . . . . Research will tell the thoughtful that the efficacy of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine against pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) varies enormously in different populations. The prevailing hypothesis attributes this variation to interactions between the vaccine and mycobacteria common in the environment, but the precise mechanism has so far not been clarified. . This is in humans! . Even before anyone begins to seriously try to find one for cattle. . . There is no alternative to a Badger cull in the foreseeable future.

Charles Henry

‘Errol’ . . Has your dog had his Canine Distemper injection yet? . . It must be about due again. . . . .

. . Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity)

Western Daily Press. . . Letters

I sincerely hope that Gordon Brown and the rest of his beleaguered, sleaze-ridden Government of self-serving spin doctors and control freaks had the most miserable of Christmases and may I take this opportunity to wish them even worse sentiments for the new year which, I am sure, will be heartily endorsed by the police, nurses and the armed forces!

Robert Readman
Bournemouth
Dorset

“For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow! . . . For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow! . . . For He’s a Jolly Good Feeelloooow!. . . . And so say all of us.” . . . .

. . . . . “HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!”

Charles Henry

Really ‘Errol’! . . . Who do you think I meant?

. . . . . The Home Secretary?!

. . Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity)

The Editor
Letters
Western Daily Press

Published 27th.December 2007

Dear Editor,

What an arrogant, pompous statement from John Grimshaw the chief executive of Sustrans. (Dec 20th.)

“The people have now voted. They want to walk and cycle more and we cannot let them down.”

The people have voted to drive their motor cars in Bristol, NOT CYCLE; but ever since it’s inception, Sustrans and all those who have supported it, have helped turn the city into the unfriendly, gridlocked traffic nightmare it has now become.

If people want to complain to Ofcom or the like, about voting irregularities; don’t worry about X Factor; that’s just a self sustaining money-making machine. . . . I say look to the bogus ‘charity’ that allows a self-serving minority to indulge their co-operative fantasies. . . Our roads and pavements, are now littered with cycle lanes and traffic lights, payed for by the over-taxed motorists; and our bye-ways and public rights-of-way have become the hunting grounds of the busy-body do-gooders and reckless weekend cyclists.

Yours

Charles Henry

I do wish you wouldn’t keep using the vernacular ‘Errol’.

. . Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity)

Les Knight’s work published here in recognition of great poetry and wise counsel.

First published in the Western Daily Press 4th. September 2007

. . Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity)

Western Daily Press. . . Letters

I was disappointed by the derision which greeted the installation of a small wind turbine on the Hollies council building in Midsomer Norton.

This was an initiative by an officer of the council to take advantage of a Government grant and try out a piece of renewable energy equipment at a very small cost. That the Conservatives should pick it up after only about two months of a pretty wind-free time, and rubbish it, shows their typical short-term thinking.

Of course, a small wind turbine on a building in the middle of a town is not going to accomplish much - but converting the Guildhall to a biomass (wood-chip) boiler would have reduced the energy bills and the Guildhall carbon footprint substantially.

I championed the conversion of the Guildhall to wood-chip boiler last year. I had the support of council officers who are part of the Government-funded “Big Energy Challenge” and the scheme was ready to go ahead this year.

Unfortunately, the Conservatives who took control of the council have shown their usual timidity and cut that plan. Our council is still one of the worst nationally for renewable energy installations.

Incidentally, Bradford Council has been gradually converting all its council buildings to biomass wood-chip boilers over the last 10 years and has become almost carbon neutral, so it is a tried and tested method.

Woking Council uses wind turbines and photovoltaic cells to reduce their carbon footprint and, closer to home, Bristol City Council is using several renewable energy technologies.

B &NES has a substantial amount of wood chippings from the parks department which, at present, go to waste. What an excellent recycling method if they could be used in wood-chip boilers.

But the most annoying part of this saga is that council energy bills could be reduced if more renewable energy was installed - and that would reduce our council tax bills.

Gail Coleshill
Liberal Democrat spokesperson for North East Somerset
Radstock

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Editor unless science has suddenly changed, wood-chip,(which takes energy being chipped any way), will decompose quite nicely, as it would in its pre-chipped state and so causes no threat to the planet. It can even be marketed. On the other hand if they were to fuel the boilers with our domestic waste there would be a real saving and gain. . . It’s called ‘Killing Two Birds with One Stone’.

BIOMASS?. . . . Biomass is a type of fuel that produces energy by burning plant and animal matter such as trees, animal waste and general waste products. . . . . . . Wood remains the most commonly used biomass fuel, and is used to power systems that typically convert the energy into heat for water and space heating. . I refer everyone once again to the Lib-Dem ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land’.

Charles Henry

P.S. Government Grants come from our Tax Monies!!

IT IS NOT FREE MONEY!

Western Daily Press. . News

Tory leader David Cameron suffered an embarrassing rebuff after holding out an offer to the new Liberal Democrat leader to forge a “progressive alliance” against Gordon Brown.

With the Lib Dems due to announce the outcome of their leadership contest tomorrow, Mr Cameron said that he believed the two parties should work together to pressurise Labour into decentralising power from Whitehall.

But the proposal was swiftly dismissed by the outgoing Lib Dem acting leader Vince Cable, who said that the Conservative leader appeared to be living in “cloud cuckoo land".

He said,"The Liberal Democrats will continue to work with other parties on issues where we have common ground and can work together in the national interest,” he said. “However, this is not a serious proposal and David Cameron clearly lives in cloud cuckoo land.". . cond.

Comment published 21st. December 2007

Vince Cable and the Liberal Democrats know all about ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land’ Editor. . They have spent most of their lives there. . . And since the embarrassing withdrawal of British troops from Basra because of a lack of commitment from our European allies and other partners in the so-called ‘free world’; even Charles Kennedy is beginning to sound hesitant.

His ‘it’s nothing to do with us governor’ approach, ‘we’ll just cross to the other side of the road’, to the human rights of oppressed nations, is beginning to look a bit shabby. How can we possibly work together in the world to reduce carbon emissions; if we cannot first sort out despots likes Saddam Hussein and Robert Mugabi?

People had better soon realise; the dangers to the world from states without scruples is far greater than any climate cataclysm. At least the Americans realise that.

Charles Henry

The Editor
Letters
Western Daily Press

On line comment published 21/12/07

Dear Editor,

Vince Cable and the Liberal Democrats know all about ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land’. (Dec 17th.). . They have spent most of their lives there. . . And since the embarrassing withdrawal of British troops from Basra because of a lack of commitment from our European allies and other partners in the so-called ‘free world’; even Charles Kennedy is beginning to sound hesitant.

His ‘it’s nothing to do with us governor’ approach, ‘we’ll just cross to the other side of the road’, to the human rights of oppressed nations is beginning to look a bit shabby. How can we possibly work together in the world to reduce carbon emissions; if we cannot first sort out despots likes Saddam Hussein and Robert Mugabi?

At a time that Russia completes its first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran, people had better soon realise that the dangers to the world from ’states without scruples’ is far greater than any climate cataclysm. At least the Americans seem to realise that.

Yours

Charles Henry

December 2007

Copyright by Charles Henry 2007

Well ‘appy bleedin’ Crismus. . . If diss is bleedin’ global warmin’, ders few buggers wots fergot ta start dere bleedin cars agen. . . . Ah an’ you know why!! . . Wot wiv Pet’rol over a pound a leet’er!!! . . Iss bleedin freezin’ out yer!!! . .

Wot a yer iss bin! . . Floods; wars; people dyin! . . An now wees got Gordon Brown! . . Godstroof it wer bad enuff wiv Tony, but now evryfinks goin rong! . . We’ve ad foot un mouf agen! . . an’ Bloo Tung! . . . Me bruvver gets dat. . . Ar anty Lil says she’ll wash ‘is bleedin’ mouf out wiv soap. . . Dat soon shuts ‘ee up! . . Ee ‘ates me ya no! . . Wen we wus kids ee yoosed ta put ‘olly in me bed Cristmus eve, an’ cut bleedin’ great ‘oles in me stockin’ so me marbles ‘ould fall out!! . .

‘Owse prices is fallin’ like a stone. . But den we aw new it ‘ad ta stop sum time. . It don’t make no diffrense ta I, but deres a few out dere wots gonna catch a rite bleedin’ cawd. . .

Wees got anuvver new England manager! . . A bleedin’ Itie! . . I know! . . don’t say it! . . still ut leest ‘is misses ull keep un in line. . not like dat uvver sex mad git! . . maybe deyll aw consintrate on playin’ football now, . . not jest playin’ arownd! . . .

Librals is pickin a new leeder an aw! . . Mine you dey needed wun. . . dat uvver git wer a nice bloke but I fink ‘is fire ud gone out. . . Mine you; we needs libraws so’s wees aw got sumwun ta make fun of. . . Mine you ‘ol Vince wern’t no mug, . . an Gordy ull aways be da ‘Mister Been uv politics’ frum now on. . Das fer sure!

Any ‘ow I’n going carol singin’ tanite wiv ar Ediff; ta see if wee can make a few bob. . . eever way it’ll be da closest I gets ta avin’ a good time wiv ‘er before me bruvver gets ‘is greesy ‘ands on ‘er crismus puddin’. . Ar Anty Lil ‘elps ‘er make um evry yer.

I’n off ‘ome now. . ‘Appy Crismus. . . Don’t wurry it’ll soon be over.

Western Daily Press. . Letters/News

I feel that the time has come to sort out the hunting issue once and for all, in a way that will benefit everyone.

During the hunting season it will put a stop to the practice of people in costumes chasing wildlife with packs of dogs and tearing them to pieces.

Let the natural predators of the fox and the deer do it instead. Let us bring back wolves, bears and lynx.

This will ensure that a healthy stock of prey animals is maintained, as a wild predator will not waste energy chasing a healthy prey. The countryside will also be less appealing to mountain bikers, ramblers and others who disturb the peace and tranquillity.

It will reduce the carbon footprint of wildlife film-makers; they will no longer have to travel to the wilds of the African bush or Alaska to film predators chasing prey animals for mile after mile until they are exhausted and then tearing them to pieces. They can go to Exmoor instead.

The end result will be that fox and deer can be chased all year round by natural predators, and hunters and nature lovers alike can enjoy their passions without leaving the sofa.

Let’s face it, it won’t be safe to go for a walk and watch it first hand.

Name and address supplied

Published 15th. Dec 2007

Hey Editor, well yes!! . . And while we are at it; now we’ve got ‘Global Warming’, (Well nearly), why don’t we introduce packs of Hyenas and Wild Dogs? . . Lions and Tigers even? . . No more silly people in Red Coats riding around; just hordes of druggies weighed down with piercings, roaming around with guns looking for food. . . YOU KNOW!! A BIT LIKE MAD MAX!!!

Charles Henry

POLICE BID TO FORCE OUT HOME SECRETARY

Relations between the police and the Government fell to a new low last night as officers demanded the resignation of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

Pressure is growing on Ms Smith to find a solution, but Gordon Brown gave her his support yesterday. cond. . . . . .

He told MPs during Prime Minister’s Questions: “No policemen and no person across the country would thank us if their pay rise was wiped out by inflation.”

Isn’t it funny. It’s ok for everyone’s living standards to be eroded by inflationary Council Tax rises and the like, except the Governments. They make sure they have pay rises and ‘expenses’ that more than cover them. . . But at least if the police are busy trying to get rid of the Home Secretary, they won’t have so much time to harass motorists. . . Of course; if you join the bicycle riding MINORITY you’ll be able to get the benefit of a massive handout from the National Lottery. . . And they call this ‘Democracy’. . Roll on the Revolution.

Charles Henry (Victor Meldrew’s second cousin)

No ‘Errol’. . You are very astute. . I am much too young.

. . Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity)

LENIENT BECAUSE THEY WERE OLD?
Western Daily Press. . Letters

Excuse me if I fall over laughing, having read “Hunt pair admit theft” (Western Daily Press, November 21) and the trivial punishment handed to two Avon Vale Hunt thugs.

This event took place two years ago. It was robbery with assault and holding a person against their will.

I also ask this simple question: if this had happened in a street of a town or village with adolescent males attacking a senior citizen and stealing her handbag, would the punishment have been so lenient, or downgraded to just theft, after plea bargaining?

It just so happens that these two older males attacked a younger female. The combined age of these two thugs was 93 years of age. Is this why the judge was so lenient because they were old thugs?

The £175 each in compensation to the monitor was a ridiculously menial amount and barely covered the cost of the video camcorder.

M J Haines. Cirencester

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They weren’t found guilty of “robbery with assault and holding a person against their will” which is why they weren’t sentenced for that.

Giles Bradshaw, Rose Ash

Editor, . Talking about CAMCORDERS, I was intrigued by Chris Dowdeswell’s morbid interest in the time it takes hounds to despatch a fox.(from the website today’s paper). . I do know it’s pretty swift. . We are all aware that cats often play with mice before they kill them, and I know our retriever can despatch a rat in moments, but has anyone ever wondered how long a lamb takes to meet its maker and be fed to the cubs, after it has been taken bleating from its mother whilst she’s giving birth to its twin? . What would you think? . . Ten minutes? . . Twenty minutes or half an hour even before its belly finally gets ripped out? . . It doesn’t bear thinking about really does it? . . No it is probably very true; there is not much sympathy for the fox out there.

Charles Henry

The Editor
Letters
Western Daily Press

Dear Editor,

I believe the Barrister acting for the traveller/gypsy families at North Curry is abusing his position and subverting the democratic process by using legal threats trying to frighten the plaintiffs and accuse them of holding a ‘witch-hunt’ (5th.Dec.2007) It is only a few weeks since we all found out that Wiltshire Police had taken two years planning raids on a Traveller/Gypsy camp net-work stealing caravans.

The West Country’s population is fully aware of the Police’s reluctance to ever go into these camps to recover stolen goods or animals. Even when presented with evidence of the whereabouts of missing goods or animals, their reaction is always the same, and the travellers know it. They have now become a law unto themselves with total disregard for others. It cannot be allowed to continue. They have been allowed to wreck other peoples lives for far too long.

There are thousands of ‘homeless’ young people from the agricultural community who would have their own homes by now if they all behaved as the travellers have been ‘allowed’ to. The majority of genuine traditional gypsy families joined the ’settled’ community and were assimilated into our communities many years ago. Those remaining are mostly New Age interlopers.

Yours

Charles Henry

The Editor
Letters
Western Daily Press

Dear Editor,

The dangerous nonsense about TB from the badger groups, as displayed by M.Hancox letter (Dec. 1st. 2007), has gone on long enough.

The British agricultural community has been aware of, and vigilant to the risks of drinking ‘raw’ cows milk for well over forty years now. M.Hancox clearly has no understanding of what is meant by ‘Atypical’ tuberculosis.

Typical tuberculosis in humans is Mycobacterium-tuberculosis. ‘Atypical’ TB is mostly Mycobacterium-bovis. There are one or two other types and each has many different strains. Mycobacterium-bovis is now becoming so prevalent because of the explosion in the badger population since John Major’s failed Government made it a ‘protected’ species in 1992 to garnish a few extra votes in the election. . But at what cost?

With the advent of the Tetracycline antibiotics in the 1950s; (Their antimicrobial spectrum was broader than any other antibiotic then known) and the BCG Vaccination; with tuberculin testing and propitious culling the British cattle herd became virtually tuberculosis free and the TB Sanatoriums all closed. . . We all thought tuberculosis had been defeated.

Now seemingly influenced only by those activists involved in the failed Krebs trials, and faced by the escalating re-emergence of TB, Defra have continued to concentrate only on possible immunisation of the cattle herd whilst completely ignoring the rapidly growing reservoir of infection in the wild precipitated by John Major’s acquiescence. That reservoir of TB must be dealt with if we are to safeguard public health.

The present Government’s chief scientist professor Sir David King has obviously come to the same conclusion. The badger cull must now begin.

Yours

Charles Henry

The Hunting Act is not “in tatters” (Western Daily Press headline of December 1st.).

The Countryside Alliance has had what will amount to a pyrrhic victory which will result in more calls for the law to be tightened. Senior political figures are, since the Exeter judgment, already coordinating lobbying for the strengthening of the Act. The CA is also doomed to fail in its appeal to the European court, something that will cost it a huge amount of money and take several years at least to run its course.

The Hunting Act, the will of the British people in our democracy, is here to stay and justice for the hunted animal is certain.

Chris Gale
Chippenham
Wiltshire
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Government Chris Gale supports is proving to be the most dangerous and incompetent of modern times. It has brought the ‘New-Labour’ version of ‘Democracy’ into total disrepute. . . And the world is concerned about Russian President Vladimir Putin ?!?!

This is their response to the petition to repeal the Hunting Act.

Charles Henry

“The UK Government is satisfied with the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004, which bans all hunting of wild mammals with dogs, apart from the tightly-drawn exemptions set out in the Act. These exemptions are recognised as effective ways of dealing with specific pest control issues.

The purpose of the Act, which the House of Commons passed by an overwhelming majority, is to end a practice that a clear majority of people across the country oppose on the grounds that it causes unnecessary suffering.

The Hunting Act does not prevent hunts from meeting up or riding with their hounds, nor does it preclude legitimate and humane pest control activities. Since the ban came into effect, evidence has shown that the majority of hunts have continued to meet and ride within the law. The Government welcomes this, as it has meant that the economic, social and welfare problems predicted by opponents of the Act have not materialised.

The Government has no plans to repeal the Act.”

Yes that’s not very far from the truth ‘Errol’. . . They are really only a minority Government.

. . Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity)

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE AND YOU’LL BE ALL RIGHT

I am becoming more worried, as each day passes, about the present state of our beloved English language, even though it is made up of French, Greek, Latin, German, Norse, etc. . . . cond.

Please, please can we bring back some good old-fashioned proper English to our benighted country and stop this use of slovenly language once and for all. It is not clever to use these mostly slang expressions - just very boring.

What annoys me Editor, is when the BBC presenters bring their ‘open-neck-shirt’ attitude into speech and use ‘tha’ instead of ‘thee’ when it precedes a vowel or vowel sound. . . They talk about ‘tha’ A370 or ‘tha’ M4. . . As Ralph Warfield says; it’s really “slovenly". . .That just about sums up the way New-Labour have run government.

Charles Henry

Western Daily Press. . . Letters

Lynda Warren’s call for the National Identity Scheme to be abandoned is misguided, “Why should we have faith in ID register"? (Your Say, November 24).Enrolment on the scheme cannot become universally compulsory until a further Act of Parliament has been passed.

In the meantime, ID cards will be issued to foreign nationals and after that to British citizens.

The move to strengthen the security of identity documents using fingerprints and facial biometric technology is a global one, with countries around the world moving to add fingerprints to passports.

The scheme is building, therefore, on measures that we and our partners are already investing in, such as immigration documents and passports which include fingerprints on a chip.

The scheme will directly combat the use of multiple identities by criminals which facilitates illegal activity such as fraud, terrorism and illegal immigration.

It will do this by linking one set of fingerprints to one set of biographical information on separate secure databases, for adults resident in the UK, including foreign nationals.

By including biometrics, it will be possible to link a person securely and reliably to his or her unique identity.

It will, therefore, become much more difficult for people to misuse another person’s identity even if full details of other people’s biographical information were already known.

The National Identity Register will, just as with the current passport database, hold core identity information.

It will not be an amalgam of all existing Government data. It will not hold tax, benefit or other financial records.

The scheme will be fully security accredited, and an independent scheme commissioner will oversee its operation.

Yes, the scheme is a big project, but it will unlock huge benefits for the UK, and the rising threat of identity fraud cannot go unchallenged.

I have yet to hear realistic alternatives to what we are proposing - doing nothing is not an option.

Meg Hillier MP Home Office Minister London

And there, ’spelt out’, is the nonsense of the Home Office Minister’s whole argument Editor. . “SEPARATE SECURE DATABASES". . There are no such things, and never will be. . . DO THESE PEOPLE NOT LEARN ANYTHING? . . They haven’t ever even been able to maintain a secure and accurate National Insurance Number Register. They are like FIREWORK MANUFACTURES trying to turn there hand to NUCLEAR PHYSICS. . Computers are not MAGIC. . GARBAGE IN; GARBAGE OUT. . A QUESTION FOR THE MINISTER. “Just how many copies of the information you LOST were actually made Minister? . . Was it Ten or Ten Thousand? You haven’t a clue have you!”

Charles Henry

Western Daily Press. . Features/Letters

It’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry over the loss of 25 million people’s personal records which contain names, dates of birth, national insurance numbers and bank details.The debate over how the “lost” HMRC discs were sent is almost risible. The point is that it should not be possible for any person, junior or mighty, to collect or copy such a volume of personal details in one place.

That it is possible is a direct result of the Government obsession to micro-manage our lives with centralised databases.

The Government insists we can trust it with the management of our lives through the impending National Identity Register which will carry far more data on individuals.

Lynda Warren. NO2ID Swindon

This whole episode has focused minds, and so at last the majority of people are beginning to realise some of the dangers of biometric Identity Cards and the vulnerability of computerised data. But even now, the really serious danger of corrupted databases, and our data being attached to someone else’s biometrics, and vice versa; has not been fully grasped. Once created the only means of correcting a false or stolen Biometric ID will be the conventional methods of identification we have always used. Thank goodness for family, friends and nosy neighbours.

Charles Henry

CULL CAN BE SIMPLY DONE

I Do agree that large numbers of deer can cause a lot of damage to crops in the fields. Deer management is easily controlled provided you have proper marksmen who use suitable high- velocity rifles.All deer must be shot in the head or through the heart, which is three inches behind the front legs. On no account should shotguns be used or you will end up with many wounded deer all over the countryside, and that will give the hunts an excuse to get a foothold again. The National Trust and the hunts go hand-in-hand, as they both go hunting. If the National Trust has got ancient woodland, then it must fence it off, the same as other woodland owners do.

The deer will be in large herds now because of the rut and, therefore, easy to cull. You have only to employ two professional marksmen and pay them from the sale of the carcasses. It would take only six weeks to do this.

I hope my letter will help those who want to control the deer humanely. I do know what I am talking about, as I have shot hundreds of deer professionally.

A PalmerGloucestershire

TROUBLED HERDS. . Hiding within Yellowstone’s spectacular mountains was the last wild Bison herd left on Earth. By the 1890s, however, the herd was threatened with extinction from poachers. . Despite its inspiring comeback, the Yellowstone herd has become enmeshed in several heated debates over how the park’s wildlife should be managed. One involves efforts to reintroduce wolves – one of the bison’s few natural predators. . Just like the Deer, Bison are ‘flight’ and ‘prey’ animals. . . Like it or not, hunting with dogs is the most efficient, selective and sustainable method of managing the Deer herd on Exmoor.

Charles Henry

I want to be allowed to con trol the deer that damage my woodland humanely. Unlike either A palmer or the hunts I don’t want to kill the deer. All I want to do is walk into my woods with my four dogs which disperses the deer. Unfortunately under the absurd Hunting Act it is illegal to flush out deer with dogs iunless you then shoot them. The recent ruling in the Quantocks Staghounds case was that TEN guns should be positioned to shoot the entire herd if flushed out. Why can I not legally take my dogs onto my own property and flush out deer with out causing a bloodbath? The law is clearly wrong.

Giles Bradshaw, Rose Ash

I think if I was a deer and someone decided that my number was up I would be happy not to know about. No long chases, no fear of being chased by a group of hounds. Just stone dead in an instant. Like a bolt out of the blue. If a cull is required, then that is the only way to do it.

Graham Forsyth, Somerset