TODAY, in civilised Britain, we breed sub-human, abusive, mindless thugs who cause mayhem in other countries, dragging our good name in the dirt so we are fast becoming the violent face of Europe.

We punish them by giving them the same rights as decent people, allow them to complain about their treatment by police and claim financial compensation when they suffer the slightest hurt.

We also breed farm animals, from whom we obtain meat, milk, leather and wool. We repay them by making them spend short, comfortless, unnatural lives, depriving them of their young who can suffer cruelty and brutal deaths.

When these patient, sad, worn-out creatures are too tired and sick to continue to serve us, we deprive them of veterinary treatment, compassion, food and water, before they, too, die horrific deaths at the hands of so-called "humane" workers in abattoirs here, or, even worse, suffer barbarism abroad after long hours of travel without any form of care.

We free indiscriminate murderers, armed terrorists, often on technicalities after expensive legal appeals, compounding the crime by awarding them huge sums in compensation.

The civilisation of a country depends on its treatment of helpless animals, not that of criminals, who often deserve far worse than they are ever likely to receive in our society.

The heart-breaking report on the dreadful fate of farm animals after they have reached the end of their useful lives ('Barbaric' treatment of market animals, June 20) moved me to tears.

Heather Causnett,

Escrick Park Gardens,

Escrick, York.

...ANIMAL Aid has at least one fact wrong (June 20). The British pig farmer has never been subsidised and probably never will be. British pig farmers cannot produce enough for the British market. Welfare costs money, imports are cheap so the supermarkets make better profits by importing cruelty.

If Animal Aid is really anti-animal cruelty their efforts must be directed at all the imported meat that is produced as cheaply as possible with little regard to animal welfare.

All British pig farms and auction markets are independently inspected regularly to make sure the animals are well treated. I have never seen any of the practices they are complaining about at York Livestock Centre on any of my visits.

Fred Henley,

Green Farm,

Seaton Ross, York.