FURTHER to Wendy Souter's recent letter regarding cruelty to animals, we all like to believe that welfare laws will protect animals from suffering – but in my view most of them do not work, especially in the case of farm animals.

Where there is profit to be made, animals will always suffer. Even so-called "welfare friendly" meats and dairy cause immense suffering to sentient beings. And they all still end up at the slaughter house.

I feel many welfare laws were brought in to make you feel happier about continuing to eat animals and dairy products, and increase companies profits. They supposedly do not allow "unnecessary" suffering, but what is "necessary" suffering – castration, deprivation and death? Eating animals and dairy products is not essential for your survival. Becoming knowledgeable about the right things to eat makes a vegan diet very healthy. If eating animals is not essential for life, then I believe their suffering is caused only by your enjoyment of their flesh, a frivolous reason, which is very much unnecessary suffering. Becoming vegan will immediately stop your involvement in the exploitation of farmed animals, and directly save lives, whereas, even buying 'happy' foods will not.

It should not be about how we treat animals but that we use them at all, and until they are not considered property their lives will always be hell.

VALERIE FRY

Plympton