The late Linda McCartney famously said: "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian."

The truth of this observation is now being borne out by the fact that images of the open-air slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent

animals on the killing fields of England have led to an unparalleled increased interest in vegetarianism.

As a 70-year-old vegetarian, I can assure those who decide to foreswear the consumption of meat they will not only be healthier but also, during such disasters as BSE, swine fever and foot and mouth disease, will enjoy a contented mind and an easy conscience.

-Peter Allen, High Salvington, Worthing