How can we justify the unstunned slaughter of animals?

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Shoppers don’t usually know how animals were killed when they buy meat, a report warns (Getty)

I was astonished to read Jane Dalton’s exclusive in the Christmas edition (‘Nearly 100 million animals a year killed while conscious’). As a long-term committed non-meat eater, it was a tough enough Christmas read. But for the carnivores among your readers it must have been a massive shock to learn that about 100 million animals each year are needlessly slaughtered without being stunned.

The realisation that, in our supposedly civilised society, we actually allow any animals to be slaughtered while conscious has filled me with horror and shame. A number of more enlightened nations in Europe, including Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, have, it seems, found it possible to totally outlaw such inhumane, unstunned slaughter.

I cannot believe that Jesus would find the suffering of innocent animals acceptable. Let’s stop this barbarity now.

W Patrick Moore

Norwich

NHS suffers again

Jenny Harries offers the insight that “we have very high rates of individuals off sick; we know that, particularly in London, around one in 35 have currently got Omicron. Now that’s having an impact on the workforce. So these are not simply about hospitalisation rates.”

I would have very much liked her to have reminded us that those “very high rates of individuals off sick” include NHS workers (GPs, nurses, porters, paramedics, consultants etc in no particular order). It appears she’s only talking about lower “hospitalisation rates” as though that were good, instead of highlighting the associated impact on the ability of the heroic, much afflicted, much depleted NHS to manage these high levels of infection. I could despair.

Beryl Wall

London W4

No thanks to you, prime minister

One of your correspondents, Geoffrey Brooking, says that we should be saying thank you to Boris Johnson for doing a good job. I beg to differ.

Brexit impacts biting; pushing back small boats in the Channel; late decision-making and inconsistent guidance directly causing deaths from Covid; our public services, especially schools and the NHS, exhausted from trying to deal with Covid and their day jobs while repeatedly being given contradictory guidance and recommendations; trade deals being signed that actually make life worse for our farmers and fishermen. I could go on but you get the point.

Please don’t tell me I should be thanking our prime minister for any one of the above, the sheer scale of his folly is just shameful.

John Sinclair

Pocklington, Yorkshire

Reading the letter from Ken Burrell (‘No boycott for Geoff’, 24 December), I was overjoyed to see a mention of the much-missed columnist, Cooper Brown. I was overwhelmed with splendid memories of his wisdom and, if I remember correctly, his Audi motor car and his quest for justice re mindless damage caused.

Anyway, as soon as I had finished reading the paper I commenced a search ending up in the darkest corner of my long-suffering wardrobe and lo and behold I found a Cooper Brown T-shirt in reasonable condition. I wonder how many readers still possess this gem?

Robert Boston

Kent