SIR - From October 1, millions of mass-produced, often factory-farmed, pheasants have become targets for shooters who will blast them from the skies.

Wounded, terrified birds will plummet to the ground in agony if they have not been killed outright. Lead shot will rain down.

Shooting ‘game’ birds isn’t a traditional, rural pastime involving people bagging a wild bird or two for the pot. Rather, it is a lucrative, cynical industry that exploits and kills millions of birds and wild animals and is harmful to the environment.

For more information, including photos and videos from inside the industrial farms that produce the millions of pheasants, and to sign our petition against this cruelty, visit animalaid.org.uk/shooting

Fiona Pereira, Campaigner, Animal Aid