well, my farming friends employ pest controllers. Usually the fox is shot dead (which is apparently not nearly so difficult as the hunting fraternity would have us believe). The farmers I know are no great fans of the hunt, by the way - the damage they do they may pay for, but when you're a farmer with limited human resources, repairing fences and hedges is another job you could really do without...and don't even get my friend Craig started on the way that they ride roughshod over whichever fields they like, regardless of what is agreed in advance. One farmer I know has banned them from his land - not that they pay any attention, which is symptomatic of the arrogance of the breed. They do, of course, remove beasts' carcasses, which is a useful service - but it's not like they don't charge the farmers to do it.

"foxhunting has been an important activity in the lives of rural communities, as was singing about it in the pub afterwards"

Well, hurrah. Why not bring back public hangings and all, so long as we can have a good sing-song afterwards?