• I AM appalled that animals are being used in warfare experiments in Great Britain.

Animal Aid has highlighted examples of the suffering involved: rats were shot in both eyes and killed two weeks later, marmosets were exposed to ebola, leaving some with bleeding genitals, and guinea pigs were exposed to a nerve agent and watched to see if they gasped or writhed.

One of the locations where warfare experiments take place, is at Dstl, Porton Down, a secret government laboratory.

In 2019 the proportion of “severe” experiments conducted there was more than nine times the average across all the laboratories in Great Britain (39.9 per cent compared with 4.2 per cent). This level of suffering is unconscionable.

Although researchers are not allowed to use animals to develop or test weapons, they are allowed to use existing weapons on animals to see the effects of different treatments and counter-measures. Animals are different from humans and the data gathered cannot reliably predict what will happen in people.

Find out more at animalaid.org.uk/warfare, including how you can get involved and support the campaign.

LAYLA HARRISON, NW5