I have watched some of the film footage of British slaughterhouses, which was filmed secretly by Animal Aid. I say I only watched some of it because it was too shocking to watch.

Terrified sheep and pigs running in circles desperately looking for an escape. Animals that were partially stunned and left writhing and convulsing on the floor, while the stun operator carried on and ignored their plight.

There were ewes being stunned while their young suckled from them. Then the baby lambs were stunned, hoisted up and their throats cut.

All the animals were being kicked, hit, goaded, sworn at and stood on.

Another film showed events at a ‘high welfare organic plant’, (slaughterhouse) where animals were kicked in the face, inadequately stunned and even had their heads cut off before they died. The films can be found at stopthebrutality.com.

This is a damning indictment of animal welfare in this country, and makes a mockery of the systems that are supposed to protect animals from abuse at the most vulnerable time of their lives.

Please, I ask you to urge others to watch the films and see for themselves the suffering animals endure just so people can eat meat.

I will demand action from Defra, and will be taking personal responsibility, too. I can no longer eat meat.

Roger Arnold, Pershore.