Sir, – Please tell me when someone in authority, like the Minister for Agriculture, will shout stop to the brutal trade in sending new-born calves to foreign markets. We are a sophisticated nation of highly educated people, most of whom, we presume, are decent and civilised people. Taking young calves away from their mothers is harsh in the extreme and sending them on long sea voyages is nothing short of barbaric, particularly in a society like ours. Animals experience, as do we, separation anxiety, pain and distress yet they rely on us totally to care for them and to defend them – they who have never harmed us but provide us with nourishment.
Most farmers care a good deal for their animals and surely there must be at least a few of them who can come up with a better “use” for male calves. Where there’s a will to improve animal welfare, there must be a way.
How we treat our dumb and dependent animals is surely the mark of a civilised society. Many believe we live in a great place and I am one of those who feel that I live in the best country in the world, but if we have people who exclude dependent animals from the shelter of compassion, we will have people in this country who will also lack compassion for their fellow human beings. – Yours, etc,
MARY F McATEER,
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Naas,
Co Kildare.