THE way animals are killed in slaughterhouses is something most of us do not want to think about, but the incredible fact that nearly 2.5 million are slaughtered each day means it is an issue that we can t ignore. People like to believe that animals are k

THE way animals are killed in slaughterhouses is something most of us do not want to think about, but the incredible fact that nearly 2.5 million are slaughtered each day means it is an issue that we can't ignore.

People like to believe that animals are killed humanely, but practically none of us ever set foot in these places and the truth is very different. In fact, millions of animals suffer pain and fear when they are improperly stunned before slaughter and may fail to lose consciousness at all, facing a violent and terrifying death.

Around a quarter of all pigs are now killed using gas chambers, but most of the gas mixtures used cause huge distress to the animals before they eventually lose consciousness. Long delays between electrical stunning and the knifing which actually kills the animals means that millions more recover consciousness while bleeding to death.

These shocking facts are well-known, but the Government will take no action and the slaughterhouses themselves are only interested in maximising the speed at which they turn living creatures into cuts of meat.

Luckily each of us has the power to do something about this. By becoming vegetarian we stop supporting this brutal business and reduce the number of animals enduring this fate: on average, each vegetarian saves over 1000 animals from the abattoir.

For more information contact Viva! at 8 York Court, Wilder St, Bristol, BS 8QH or telephone 01179 441000.

Joyce Shiner

Peppers Green

Good Easter