Use substitutes instead of leather

FUR is a controversial issue that many of us feel very strongly about. More than 140 million animals are killed each year and incarcerated in tiny, dirty cells for the sake of fashion and clothing.

Fur farms are illegal in Britain but it is still legal to sell fur. Four Paws is calling for a #FurFreeBritain. We are all familiar with the trade in exotic skins such as pythons, ostriches, alligators and crocodiles killed for the sake of fashion accessories. Ducks and geese also suffer a similar fate in order to take their down feathers for bedding and clothing, using the live plucking method. Mohair and Angora wool are regarded as luxury items, but video available online demonstrates the hell the

Angora goats and rabbits are put through.

It is instructive to realise there is no such thing as cruelty-free leather and wool. It is not just that sheep and cattle are being horribly exploited, it is also the sheer pain involved and the mental hell these poor beasts routinely experience.

Leather is also the most environmentally damaging material of all. Cotton is an acceptable substitute for wool and leather.

This is one more example of consumer politics being the only method of affecting the diabolic suffering around us. The wool and leather industry are still part of the origin of disease. Several brands have recently banned kangaroo leather, which demonstrates that progressive change is possible and worth striving to achieve.

Mr J Bucke Cefn Glas, Bridgend