SIR – Britain is going veggie. If current trends published recently by the Government continue, the UK will be fully vegetarian by 2076!

Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that last year over 13 million fewer farmed land animals were slaughtered in the UK than the year before.

The trend is continuing downwards, with nearly 50 million fewer killed in 2008 than in 2005.

It is not because we are importing more – consumption of both pig and poultry meat fell significantly last year. More of us than ever before are going veggie to save lives – the average Brit can save up to 11,047 animals in a lifetime by simply not eating them!

Many are cutting out meat for environmental reasons – especially as livestock farming causes more global warming gasses than the entire world’s transport system put together.

Going veggie also fights poverty – by allowing people in developing countries to eat crops rather than feeding them to our farmed animals.

Veggies are also leaner!

For free help on cutting down your meat intake or going veggie, ring Viva! on (0117) 9441000, e-mail info@viva.org.uk, or write to Viva! at 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH.

Justin Kerswell, campaigns manager, Viva!