Sir, - According to Kevin Dalton's rambling Christian tirade (March 22nd), he believes it "justifiable to slaughter [sic] animals for food - but to slaughter thousands, even millions, for economic reasons is, I believe, a betrayal of the charge given to us by God, when he [sic] gave us dominion over His creation".
Mr Dalton, this is Ireland's raison d'etre. We are willing to kill "thousands, even millions" as a PR exercise because we are the slaughterhouse of Europe, exporting more animals than any other EU member. A million cattle was the figure first mooted for destruction on the BSE/four-year-old scheme in January. It caused little outcry and they weren't even sick.
I am a vegetarian and I don't know if it's right or wrong to eat meat. I do know that what's going on in my country and the gross scale of it gives me a deep sense of foreboding that I just don't get from reading Jeremiah. I feel polluted just being here. - Yours, etc.,
David Keane, Juice, George's Street, Dublin 2.