A reader’s anger over ‘double standards’ in animal welfare laws - your letters, plus RAF Cosford bids farewell to Ben the dog mascot in a picture throwback

Farmers deserve equal treatment

Carrying on from the government’s abysmal disregard and arrogance over farming. We now know it is proposing an unfair and outrageous double standards in animal welfare across the countryside and nation.

Currently British animal welfare law requires that animals are stunned before slaughter to render than unconscious and insensitive to pain when killed.

However, exemptions are permitted on religious grounds, allowing halal and shechita slaughter by cutting the throats of conscious animals.

Farmers have kept sheep across the countryside for generations. They deserve the full protection of the law beyond the farm gate.

The proposed Animal Welfare strategy makes no reference to this slaughter is evidence of political cowardice and awful double standards when it comes to challenging unacceptable standards by religious groups.

This contrasts with the proposed ban on trail hunting which will do little to stop some criminals killing foxes but, will result in the culling of hundreds of healthy fox hounds.

Perhaps, people in our countryside could organise themselves as a religious group and therefore avoid the ridiculous double standards being proposed by this government.

One law for some, another for countryside plebs apparently. Metropolitan elites are not what is best for our countryside or rural communities.

Doug James, Midlands

Trump may eye up Isle of Wight

On the assumption that the lid to a very large pot of glue is still missing in the Oval Office I think we in the UK should start worrying that the Isle of Wight is strategically placed to enable the USA to keep an eye on Europe.

Peter Steggles, Rushbury

Charles Darwin and The Beagle

Just a couple of matters to clarify the article which was a most interesting version of events leading up to the voyage of Darwin and The Beagle.

The Beagle was on a map making expedition for the Royal Navy and it was they who specified all the equipment and carried out the refitting. In the main article, the writer states the refitting was started in 1826 at Charles Darwin’s request when he was 17 years old and at university (from my researches).

Whilst as far as Shrewsbury is concerned, there is no doubt that Charles Darwin is the most important son of the town, I believe he found an excellent man to travel with and although Fitzroy did not agree with Darwin's Theory, many identify Fitzroy as the founder of modern weather forecasting.

Fitzroy and the Beagle – Darwin joined HMS Beagle, not as a passenger, but as the ship's naturalist and as a companion for Captain Robert Fitzroy (born 1805). Captain Fitzroy was given command of the 240-ton brig Beagle in 1828. He surveyed the South American coast around Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, returning to England in 1830. This was successful and he was given a second commission to make maps around South America and the islands of the Pacific. It visited the Cape Verde Islands, the South American coast, the Strait of Magellan, the Galápagos Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, the Maldives, and Mauritius before returning to England on 2 Oct. 2, 1836.

Fitztzroy became a member of Parliament for Durham in 1841. A couple of years later he became governor of New Zealand in 1843, but was recalled in 1845 largely because he contended that Maori land claims were as valid as those of the settlers. He retired from active duty in 1850 and from 1854 devoted himself to meteorology. He devised a storm warning system that was the prototype of the daily weather forecast, invented a barometer, that enabled barometric charts to be drawn and published The Weather Book (1863). This information is lightly edited from britannica.com/biography/Robert-Fitzroy

You may be interested to know that in Shrewsbury, throughout February, the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth is celebrated with a series of events, including exhibitions, walks, talks and academic lectures from internationally acclaimed speakers both in person and online. I lead a walking tour around the town looking at the places that Charles Darwin would be familiar with.

Nigel J Hinton, Shrewsbury

Snow goodness

The snow brings out the best in us. Thanks to those who helped dig my car out in Telford.

Terry Stacey, Telford

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