Madam,

The inability of estates to keep hold of their pheasant stock that Victoria Bamford refers to in her letter is the least of their misdemeanours.

Estates raise these birds so that people with guns may pay to use them as live, moving targets.

Pheasants are not wild birds but a non-native species in the UK that are factory-farmed in much the same way as intensively reared chickens, yet are not protected by humane slaughter laws and many won’t even end up on someone’s plate.

They are farmed and shot purely for sport, with many wounded and left to suffer.

Furthermore, to protect their investment, these estates will kill any bird or animal that they perceive as a danger.

Perhaps we should view the pheasants we see around as the lucky ones which have escaped what is a more cruel fate.

Yours etc,

Peter Sharpe, Ty Newydd Neigwl, Pwllheli.

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