WITH REFERENCE to Plymouth City Council receiving a 'good egg' award (The Herald, December 6) for using 'ethical' eggs.

Many animal protection organisations campaign to improve animal welfare laws, such as more 'humane' slaughter, more 'humane' methods of confinement and promoting free-range and organic products.

As long as animals are considered in law as human property, animal welfare standards will never provide adequate protection for animals.

All these systems still involve much suffering and serve to make people feel better about eating so-called 'happy' animal products without having to change anything about their lifestyle.

The only justification we have for inflicting suffering and death on billions of animals every year is that we get pleasure from eating them and it is convenient. In other words, we have no good justification at all.

All sentient beings should have at least one right – the right not to be treated as property or resources.

This recognises the connection between human and non-human exploitation – that all forms of discrimination such as racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, should be rejected along with speciesism – where non-human animals are not given equal consideration and respect because they are not 'human'.

If you do not want to be involved in this exploitation, it is simple – go vegan. 'Free-range' adjusts cruelty but does not remove it.

VALERIE FRY

Plympton