WE cannot allow to go unchallenged the arrant nonsense published under the name of Kate Fowler, head of campaigns for Animal Aid, Farming industry to blame for swine flu, Points of view, April 30.

To quote from the Government's own leaflet just distributed to every household: "Swine flu is a respiratory disease and has some elements of a virus found in pigs. There is no evidence of this disease circulating in pigs in the UK and scientists are investigating its origins."

It goes on to say that pandemic flu is different from ordinary flu because it is a new flu virus that appears in humans and spreads very quickly from person to person being best controlled by personal hygiene.

The blatantly propagandist attempts by this animal rights group — whose primary function is to encourage young people not to eat meat — to link this illness with farming can, at the very least, be characterised as opportunist mischief-making.

There is absolutely no risk from British pigs or pig meat, which is produced to tightly controlled animal welfare and environmental standards which are among the highest in the world.

Ian Johnson

National Farmers' Union South West, Exeter

(by email)