I HAVE been an ardent, life-long opponent of fox hunting, hare coursing, vivisection and any form of cruelty to animals, but Helen Whittaker's description (Letters, December 6), of the disposal of unwanted day-old male chicks by shredding them alive filled me with horror and revulsion.
Apparently, this is just one more inhuman and brutal practice carried out in the name of factory farming.
Unfortunately, the sound of the cash register is far louder than the pleas for mercy from these tiny helpless creatures and, indeed, all the other poor tortured animals who are the victims of this barbaric trade.
I applaud and respect the good work being carried out by the RSPCA, but look forward to the day when, supported by government legislation, they protect all animals from these ghastly practices, and from the people who consider the shredding of defenceless creatures alive to be all right.
St Francis of Assissi, patron saint of animals, once said: "If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of pity and compassion, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."
T FISHER, Helmshore Road, Helmshore.
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