THE relationship between Wiltshire farmers and the Ministry of Defence hit rock bottom this week over the proposed ban on hunting.

Farmers on Salisbury Plain have refused the MoD permission to use 35,000 acres of land in protest at the likely ban on hunting with dogs.

Around a dozen landowners met informally and wrote to the MoD to tell Army chiefs they could no longer carry out training exercises on the privately owned land.

Josh Stratton, who owns 3,500 acres near Codford, devised the plan to lobby ministers to reconsider their decision.

He said: "The trouble is that nobody listens to anything we say about farming and agriculture in general.

"Hopefully this will make its way to Tony Blair and he will realise it is a big problem.

"The hunting ban has everything to do with class warfare and nothing to do with the countryside or rural issues.

"These left-wing Labour MPs just want to have a go at country people.

"There are some people who take the time to listen to what we have to say and then make a reasonable judgement."

Mr Stratton said hunt supporters have continued to try to make the Government listen to their point of view.

"We marched two years ago in London, we have been to Parliament Square and we went to Brighton. But the Government didn't take a blind bit of notice. This hunting ban says everything about what the Government thinks of rural people.

"It is unfair on the military but this is the only thing we have for leverage against the Government," he said.

The farmers say they will keep the Ministry off their land until the proposed hunting ban is withdrawn or adapted to allow hunting with a licence.

The military has used Salisbury Plain for decades as a firing range and training base.

Although the MoD owns large areas of the plain, it also has agreements with many farmers and landowners allowing soldiers access to their land for training.

An MoD spokesman said four landowners had withdrawn their land and that they were making arrangements to deal with the problem.

"Six tactical exercises, which don't involve any troop movements have been planned for the landowners' land," he said.

"Across the country so far we have been able to mitigate the affect of a small number of withdrawals of permission.

"Most exercises have continued as planned. A small number have adjusted their routes slightly to take in other land.

"The issues of hunting with dogs and armed forces training are totally separate."