SIR – Jon Burgess (Worcester News, October 6) claims unsubstantiated allegations by Animal Aid, and follows on with several of his own.

Game shooting is no longer confined to aristocrats inviting other aristocrats for jolly weekends of carnage.

It is now big business charging large fees for the privilege. Mr Burgess implies a customer base of factory workers and shop assistants.

Most clients are wealthy business people who could loosely be classed as working people since they are mostly paid a salary.

The birds are kept in cages and released to acclimatise for a while before the shooting starts.

They can be seen wandering on many country roads at this time of year and many must get hit by cars.

Incidentally, could Mr Burgess explain the expense incurred in releasing the birds from the cages that he says they are not kept in?

I think Mr Burgess is rather missing the point.

There may be a healthy export market; restaurants and supermarkets may be making game more easily available to all; but “game” is the operative word.

These birds are bred specifically for people to have fun taking pot shots at them – people who should be able to find something to do that does not involve killing and maiming creatures who have done them no harm.

ROBERTA BALFOUR
Malvern