Fox hunting, hare coursing and sheep - they don't mix at all well - I know this from past experience

The League Against Cruel Sports (of which I am not a member) has circulated a picture of a bunch of hunters amongst a flock of sheep. The latter don't appear to be at all happy. The League accompanies the picture with the following commentary:

"Not content with the havoc and stress they cause the quarry, the hunters often cause distress to farmers, rural communities and anyone else they find themselves in contact with. Remember, all these incidents can be passed on to our Hunt Crimewatch service and we then pass files to the National Wildlife Crime Unit each month."

In turn, I have commented to the League as follows:

"My late grandfather kept sheep. My late father kept sheep. When I was more actively farming, I kept sheep. Neither my grandfather, my father nor I would ever permit the hunts or the hare coursers on our land precisely because of the danger and stress to our sheep. But we were in a more powerful position to refuse permission because, when we were tenant farmers, our landlords were the Church Commissioners, and they supported their tenants. I can well imagine that tenants of hunting landlords were and are still are under considerable pressure to ‘permit’ the hunts, etc., to cross their land."