Letter: End of farming?

IS IT significant that with farmers facing a crisis on a par with that faced by the miners in the early 1990s, with lowering or even loss of their livelihoods, Lord Mancroft (letter, 2 March) feels that it is appropriate that the anger and bitterness should be focused on the threat to hunting?

I am a "townie" through and through, and probably do find it difficult to understand some of the problems affecting the countryside. However, I would have thought that my genuine sympathy and concern for their plight must be worth more than the wealthy, smug and self-satisfied country gentry who take advantage of the misfortunes of farmers to promote their own desire to continue with hunting.

Farmers would be better off looking to garner support from all sectors of society (yes even "townies") and disassociating themselves from anachronistic interest groups with whom they have little in common.

TONY WHITEHEAD

Halifax, West Yorkshire