The Duke of Buccleuch said the campaign to ban hunting with hounds was politically motivated and based on class warfare.

BBC Scotland's David Nisbet reports on the Duke's scathing comments

And he argued that countryside people were being threatened with jail at a time when convicted IRA terrorist murderers and bombers were being released early from prison.

The Duke's comments follow Labour MSP Mike Watson's recent decision to introduce a private members bill when the Scottish Parliament reconvenes which proposes to outlaw hunts which use dogs to kill foxes.

Duke: "This is 95% political and only 5% animal welfare"

The Duke, speaking at a hound judging contest in St Boswells, said: "Make no mistake, this is 95% political and only 5% animal welfare.

"Pink politicians from the towns seem to think a ban would be one in the eye for the toffs - the idle rich.

"They persuade themselves to believe that such class warfare, disguised as animal welfare, is perfectly justifiable regardless of the enormous damage caused to rural communities."

The Duke, a joint master of hounds, continued: "The cruelty claim, largely promoted by highly political animal rights extremists with big bank accounts, is a complete sham and aimed at brainwashing countless gullible urban-dwellers who lack first-hand experience of country life."

Earlier, the Duke told BBC Scotland: "It is extraordinary to think that it is possible at a time when IRA prisoners are being released from jail after having blown up Brighton hotels, the Tory Party, bombed all kinds of people all over the country and murdering, and they are now being released early from jail.

The bill proposes to ban hunting with dogs

"And now we are going to have legislation which is going to make it a criminal offence for all the people you have seen around the country to take part in a perfectly harmless activity which does no harm to anybody."

He also appealed to the pro-hunt lobby to keep their protests within the law.

"We know the arguments are on our side and there are signs of growing public sympathy on fundamental freedoms," he said.

But the Scottish Campaign Against Hunting with Dogs (SCAHD), which backs Mr Watson's bill, said the Duke was out of touch.

Spokesman Les Ward said: "The Duke of Buccleuch argues that the current debate is some sort of battle between town and country people. That is rubbish.