Having been a dairy farmer over 40 years, I cannot understand why a lot of these so called farmers treat their poor cows, pigs and fowls the way they do. Maybe because they think these animals have no feelings.
Just imagine being a poor cow shut in between two hot wires all day in the hot sun, no shade to get under and on top of that getting eaten alive with flies, no tails to brush them off.
Then we have the poor pigs in pens, hardly enough room to turn around, trying to eat through steel bars.
Now we have these people who keep poor fowls in cages, some of them leave lights on so that they can get two eggs in 24 hours.
You never see any pedigree breeder treat their animals this way, or anybody who really are fond of their stock. I know I couldn't farm the way they do.
Every sow we had had their tails with a brush on and also plenty of shade when they wanted it.
I often wonder why our Government doesn't pass a law to put a stop to this from happening to these poor animals.
People talk about animals in the zoo. What a great life they have, plenty of shade when it's hot, shelter to get into if its cold or wet, and on top of that if any of them get sick they get treated there and then. They don't get put on a waiting list. If I was an animal I'd sooner be in a zoo as I know I would get treated well all the time.
D Pratt, Greerton.