MINISTER for Rural Affairs Alun Michael MP dropped in on Exmoor on Friday to discuss a wide range of rural issues including the contentious hunting debate.
Mr Michael met with members and officials of Exmoor National Park Authority as well as local interested parties on both sides of the hunting issue.
He said: "As on earlier visits, I want to engage with the whole range of issues affecting rural communities.
"Hunting with dogs is at the margins of the real debate about priorities for rural communities which are set out in our White Paper 'Our Countryside, the Future'."
He added: "Our priorities are ensuring that people in the countryside get access to good public services, proper investment, sound environmental, policies and sustainable development."
On the issue of hunting, he said: "People on both sides of the hunting with dogs debate hold strong views. The more contentious the issue, the more it is important for a democratic society to search for common ground and then approach legislation on the basic principles and logic."
After his meetings, Mr Michael took a break on foot and admire the Exmoor countryside. He is pictured on the right with Exmoor National Park Officer Dr Nigel Stone, in the centre, and the authority's chairman Steven Pugsley.
Photo: Steve Guscott.