I’m delighted that Fran Shuckburgh is an “animal lover and somebody who has not eaten meat for many years” (“Green promises”, Advertiser, April 8th).

It’s also good to know she is considering voting for the Greens, because of the party’s excellent policies on animal protection.

With regard to her question about how and within what time span these policies can be implemented, I think this varies according to the particular type of animal abuse in question.

In the case of the fur trade, for instance, this could be abolished very quickly because it has only a comparatively small presence in this country. Regarding animal cruelty that is much more widespread, such as factory farming and animal experimentation, this would inevitably take longer, but the important thing to remember is that the Greens are the only parliamentary party with the political will to stop these practices.

To end factory farming, the Green Party would support small free-range units, mixed rotational farming and extensive grazing, as well as encouraging a progressive transition from diets dominated by meat and other animal products to healthier diets based on plant foods. In conjunction with putting a stop to animal experimentation, government research funds would be transferred from animal tests to non-animal technologies, with greater use of epidemiological evidence and clinical data, and the funding of more research into disease prevention.

Louise Jones Mount Pleasant Redditch