In the still of the night as the country slept, a convoy of 21 overcrowded lorries carrying more than 9,000 severely distressed live sheep were exported from Dover for the beginning of their long and arduous journey to an unknown end somewhere on the Continent.

For the first time since the trade was temporarily halted last year, the archaic UK trade in live export of animals has reared its ugly head again.

How do I know this? Because investigators from Compassion In World Farming (CIWF) were able to capture the whole sorry spectacle on film, which was recently shown on TV news.

At the invitation of CIWF, Dr Caroline Lucas, the Green Party's MEP for the South-East of England, joined three other MEPs in proposing a written declaration which demands an end to subsidies to exporters of live animals from the EU to Africa and the Middle East.

A written declaration requires the signature of 50 per cent of MEPs to become the European Parliament's official policy.

So far, Euro MPs from several parties have added their support to the bid to stop £50 million a year of taxpayers' cash being used to support the trade.

CIWF is determined to win its campaign for the trade in live exports to be replaced by a trade in meat.

I appeal to your readers to support CIWF in its campaign and write to their MPs.

-David Hammond, Hassocks