"the Police still prosecute more motorists than muggers, burglars or rapists" - that's really a bit daft, Alan.

There are a great many more motorists than there are muggers burglars or rapists, and some of us break very sensible laws from time to time; and together we kill and maim far more people than all the muggers rapists and burglars put together.

Battery farming is far worse than foxhunting? Of course it is, and I hope that something can be done to stop that repulsive activity. I quite agree that should have been a higher priority than hunting-to-kill with dogs.

I suspect that the numbers of people taking part in illegal hunts will fall off rapidly, once they realise that they aren't going to have any cover for insurance when they fall off a horse, or when they damage some property in the course of a hunt.

On the other hand I can quite envisage drag hunting actually expanding - there are a fair number of people around who might like the idea of dressing up and galloping around the country after the hounds, if the day wasn't going to be ruined by some wild creature being pulled apart, and some revolting ritual in which children were "blooded".

As for the possibility which has been suggested about drag hunts turning into "real" hunts "by accident", there's a pertinent letter about that in today's Guardian, by a bloke from Middlesex called Crispin Murray - "...Simply bring the pack hounds into line with other dangerous dog breeds and legislate that they should wear muzzles whenever they are outside in the open air..."