I WOULD like to congratulate the members of Animal Aid for all their hard work, especially in persuading Marks and Spencers and Morrisons supermarkets to install CCTV cameras in their slaughterhouses.

Importantly, both companies have also promised to allow independent monitoring of the footage. Two other supermarket chains are also poised to do the same.

Animal Aid’s undercover filming in slaughterhouses is repeatedly finding evidence of gratuitous cruelty.

The latest investigation, at a slaughterhouse in Wiltshire, found sheep being decapitated while still alive, calves collapsed on slippery floors for three hours, and goats leaping about in the stunning area to avoid the electric stun tongs.

Once CCTV is installed and monitored, slaughterhouses will have to ensure that the law on humane treatment of animals destined for our plates is obeyed.

If not, they will face prosecution and lose valuable supermarket contracts.

More and more people are insisting their meat is reared and treated humanely. Just look at growing popularity of free range chicken and eggs.

Let’s do the same for the millions of defenceless animals currently destined to end their days dying in agony for our benefit.

It is up to the consumer to tell their suppliers to do better.

M Embling, Hunwick.