EVERY day on our TV screens and in our newspapers we are treated to yet more scenes of animals being slaughtered, buried or burned. For heaven's sake why?

Foot and mouth disease is not fatal to pigs, cattle or sheep, nor is it contagious to humans. It's similar to a bout of human flu from which the animals, given chance, would recover.

But having been bred for meat these animals are effectively entitled to no chances and zero consideration.

Mass slaughter is the only policy, we are told, or exports will suffer. Vaccination is a dirty word, and while economic considerations alone dictate, welfare must be sacrificed.

But for whom is this sacrifice being made? Compensation for foot and mouth is expected to top £4bn and as a vegetarian, I strongly object to my taxes being used to support a system of food production which is unnecessary and cruel.

A new low point was reached recently when amateur film footage showed a licensed slaughterman shooting sheep with a rifle.

His method involved chasing the sheep around a field while taking pot shots at them. He followed up the repeated and inevitable wounding with a brief chase and, having caught the animals, proceeded to wrestle them to the ground before shooting them again.

Some ewes were accompanied by their lambs. The slaughter of animals in abattoirs is anything but humane, but this was outrageous.

We hear that animal farmers are having a difficult time. But no other industry receives such huge compensation.

And if I see one more farmer or his wife crying on TV over the slaughter of their sheep and lambs I shall throw something at the screen.

What do they imagine happens to these animals when they leave the farm?

Our reliance on a system of keeping and feeding farm animals to eat them makes no sense, economically, environmentally or ethically.

Maurice Brett,

Linehouse Lane,

Bromsgrove.