How appalling that any decent business would want to be associated with the bloodsports lobby. These companies would be much more successful if they boycotted these 'trophies' given by an organisation that thrives on causing prolonged and unecessary suffering to animals in the name of sport!

I'm not very happy for a quango - funded in part by my money - to be commending the Countryside Alliance and its 'awards'. The CA is a front for fox hunting and hare coursing. Its members want these so-called 'sports' brought back. The Hunting Act should be strengthened so that we can be sure that chasing and killing wild animals for fun is clearly and for ever unlawful and regarded by all with well-deserved revulsion. If they know what's good for them politically, Cameron, Hague, Herbert & Co. should, at the very least, promise to let sleeping dogs lie, literally.

And what about those of us who live in rural area who despise all that the Countryside Alliance stands for? I'm far from impressed by awards given by bloodthirsty thugs who have already infiltrated the Conservative party and now seem to be the recipients of much admiration here. Any local business who receives the CA award is automatically added to the list of premises I will no longer frequent. 

Countrydweller.

Thanks for this feedback. The CRC would like to make it clear that we have not, to date, expressed any view on the issue of hunting with hounds. However, the Countryside Alliance is active on behalf of its members on other matters of rural policy and practice and the example of their rural Oscars is a case in point. These awards celebrate some great success stories in and about rural England and we wanted to bring these to the attention of others. We would do similarly for other awards of this nature.