RSPCA is a 'sinister and nasty' organisation, claims countryside chief Sir Barney White-Spunner urged members to stop giving to animal charity Former Army commanding officer hopes a new organisation will take over Also claimed the BBC portray rural people as 'Neanderthal' Attacked rural mobile phone signal as an ongoing 'digital apartheid' The RSPCA has turned from a 'great institution' into a 'sinister and nasty' organisation which is not interested in animal welfare, the head of the Countryside Alliance has warned. General Sir Barney White-Spunner has urged his members to stop donating to the charity because they are becoming more interested in animal rights issues such as fox hunting and badger culls. The former Army comanding officer, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, also questioned where the charity's 'authority' came from and believes the animal inspectors have been given intrusive powers which have no basis in law. Controversial: The RSPCA were criticised earlier this year for private prosecutions they brought against hunts in the UK (file picture) Sir Barney raised money for the RSPCA as a youngster but now wants a new organisation to replace the 189-year-old charity, he told the The Daily Telegraph. They have received heavy criticism from rural campaigners after their campaigning during the fox hunting ban and the badger cull was investigated by the Charity Commission. Last year, the RSPCA was condemned during its pursuit of fox hunters, after it spent Â£326,000 on a private prosecution against Oxfordshireâ€™s Heythrop Hunt. Change: Sir Barney White-Spunner hopes a new charity will replace the RSPCA in fighting for animal welfare The judge in the case questioned whether members' money could have been better spent. More recently, the charity has infuriated dairy farmers by trying to stop the badger cull, intended to halt the spread of bovine tuberculosis. Sir Barney claims farmers were targeted and 'intimated' by campaigners during the bid and is concerned ministers may now drop the policy. His cattle herd was shut down because of an outbreak of TB, and he claims to have only just cleared the financial costs. Itâ€™s a sad story. A once great British institution has been turned from an animal welfare organisation to one concerned with animal rights. They have no statutory responsibility, yet when their inspectors turn up in uniform itâ€™s as a private organisation. There is something rather sinister and nasty about it. In the interview he also claimed that the National Trust was responsible for turning the countryside into 'some sort of theme park' and said the BBC was guilty of portraying rural people as 'Neanderthal'. Sir Barney also attacked the limited mobile reception in rural areas of Britain saying there is more signal in Helmand Province than in Dorset. He said the BBCâ€™s coverage of the countryside was neither fair nor balanced and said Countryfile had failed to cover issues such as shooting. In terms of mobile phone coverage, he claims there is an ongoing 'digital apartheid' between urban and rural areas. Other nations manage to cover 98 per cent of their population, whereas in the United Kingdom it is around bout 80 per cent. A spokesman for the RSPCA said: 'Sir Barney White-Spunner's interview shows once again how far out of touch he and his colleagues at the pro bloodsports Countryside Alliance are with the reality of public opinion in this country. He is clearly unhappy that the RSPCA continues to be proud to represent the views of the majority of British people who do not want to see the return of fox hunting and to speak for animals who have no choice and no voice. This has been reinforced once again this week by a new opinion polling showing that more than 80% of both rural and urban dwellers oppose any repeal of the hunting act. Anger: Sir Barney also condemned the charity's attempt to stop the badger cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire Sir White-Spunner criticises the RSPCA for bringing a prosecution against a hunt, but fails to mention that the hunt pleaded guilty and the judge in the case was himself criticised for making unhelpful and inappropriate comments. 'He also criticises the RSPCA's inspectors, who work every day of the year to ensure animals are protected from cruelty. Indeed most of their visits involve giving support and advice to pet owners to help them improve care for their animals. But in some cases the only option is the legal route. 'The RSPCA has over a million supporters - a number that is growing, contrary to Sir Barney's assertion. The RSPCA does not apologise for doing what the charity was formed to do more than 100 years ago - stopping animal abuse and without fear or favour, bringing those who harm animals to justice.