DURING the debates leading up to the ban on hunting with hounds, the Exmoor National Park Authority made the following statement:

"Should legislation be introduced to ban hunting with hounds, it is essential that adequate arrangements are in place to ensure the continued conservation and management of the red deer herds on Exmoor."

Such arrangements have not been put in place and the sad death of the largest red deer on Exmoor highlights the fact that in the wake of the hunting ban there are a growing number of trophy hunters on Exmoor.

Trophy hunters are interested in a fine head and set of antlers which can sell for up to £1,000. Proper deer management requires a correct balance of hinds and stags to be taken out in order to ensure a good genetic profile and herd health.

It is very sad that the MPs who voted through the Hunting Act had no interest in wildlife management but were obsessed with only one form of killing animals for sport.

This can be seen by a statement made by then Defra Minister and Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw:

"The management of wildlife on private land is primarily a matter for the relevant landowner and not the Government."

Prior to the Hunting Act, many landowners left deer management to the hunt who managed them in a coordinated and structured manner to ensure the long-term health and quality of the herd.

This informal system is now in danger of breaking down and if deer management is left to individual landowners then the finest herd of red deer in the UK will suffer.

Giles Bradshaw Rose Ash, Devon