Farmers in Wales are seeking the end of curbs on hunting, set up during the foot and mouth crisis, in order to cope with Britain's growing fox population.

Hunting was voluntarily suspended on February 22 to assist controls aimed halting the spread of foot and mouth. Ministers subsequently banned the sport under controlled area restrictions.

Farmers say the right balance needs to be struck between the need to control foxes before next year's lambing season and eliminating the risk of any potential spread of the foot and mouth by hunt activities.

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

A spokesman for the Countryside Alliance told ePolitix.com: "We have been seeing evidence for quite some time that the fox population in Britain has been on the increase and are not in the least bit of surprised that the farmers are calling for a resumption of hunting.

"We conducted our own survey in the summer and found that the effects of the increasing fox population have been very severe. Farms have been experiencing damage of between £500 and £2000 as a result of fox activity and we believe such losses are not sustainable."

Forum Response: The Game Conservancy Trust

A spokesman for The Game Conservancy Trust told ePolitix.com: "We recently conducted a survey on the impact of hunting on fox population. In some regions - particularly central Wales - we found that hunting significantly suppressed the numbers of the fox population. Therefore, although in areas such as East Anglia and the Midlands hunting is not a major factor in controlling the fox population, our survey suggests that the farmers in Wales have a strong case."