SIR – In response to Jon Burgess (“Bovine TB must be dealt with by all means”, Worcester News, October 30), it is interesting to note that, according to recent statistics, fewer than 20,000 dairy cows are slaughtered annually in the UK because of bovine TB.

This is less than five per cent of the 450,000 that are put to death each year, with more than 100,000 being killed due to infertility, 120,000 because of mastitis and lameness and the remaining 200,000 because they have become too old to be efficient milk producers.

Naturally cows can live to be up to 25 years old, but the dairy industry slaughters them when they are only five to seven years of age, and 100,000 male calves are put to death annually on dairy farms, shortly after birth.

All this suffering and slaughter because humans want to drink milk that is really meant for calves!

Mr Burgess speaks of the conservation value of hedges, dry stone walls and hedge banks, but he forgets that a vegan diet requires only one third the amount of land as an omnivorous one, meaning that far more areas could be given over to wildlife and conservation, if the UK population became vegan.

He also complains about “the intolerant sound of vegan jackboots marching”, which I find rather strange, because in my 40 years as a vegan, I have never worn jackboots nor met any other vegan who does so!

If he were to attend one of our events he would find us to be friendly, welcoming, tolerant and good humoured, even towards such an apparent vegan-hater as himself.

Sadly, what really conjures up the image of the Nazis is the cramming of huge numbers of animals into factory farms and their transportation in cramped lorries to slaughterhouse.

All totally unnecessary when we can live perfectly healthily without meat or any other animal products.

Anyone wanting more information about veganism and the reasons for it, can contact Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies at info@worcsveg.org.uk, call us on 07958 171576 or visit our website at worcsveg.org.uk.

Ronald Lee

Media and Publicity Officer Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies