I'm glad you posted too as this is a great opportunity for constructive discussion between people from the different sides of the 'argument'. I was very interested by your comments about the Food Standards Agency, supermarkets etc. and how this has promoted greater standards of welfare in the slaughterhouses in recent years through closer monitoring.

Busy at the minute but just to say that I too do not wish to come across as being judgmental. I try to live by my personal feelings and avoid animal products but let's face it - 60m UK / 8 billion people worldwide are not going to 'go veggie' in the foreseeable future. We can at least look at how to minimise suffering and damage: to animals, people and the environment.

It's a long, long time since I've personally participated in discussions like this because I kind of burnt-out in my 20s after being an active animal welfare campaigner. So, on a personal note, I'm really chuffed to have found forums such as these where the huge issues can hopefully be discussed constructively.

Cheers all.