While Wendy Warren and Sheila Pegg (Mailbox, April 3 and 5) are exercising their right to eat meat, some of us are in despair at the poor standards of farm animal welfare within the EU and around the world.

A recent report from Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) regarding pig welfare, begins: "Teeth clipped with pliers. Tails cut off. Castrated without anaesthetic and crammed into barren, dirty concrete pens. This is life for many European factory-farmed pigs."

Fortunately, campaigning organisations such as CIWF have achieved major changes in legislation which means that pigs in the UK are raised to higher welfare standards

Sadly, though, 80 per cent of the bacon sold in the UK still comes from pigs raised abroad, where conditions are horrific. With some 40 billion animals suffering in factory farms all around the world, it's by far the biggest cause of animal cruelty.

One can only hope that, in their eagerness to continue to satisfy their desire for meat, Wendy Warren and Sheila Pegg are not actively adding to the relentless misery of farm animals.

Linda J Bodicoat, Earl Shilton.