I RECENTLY saw a letter in the People's Voice from a retiring pig farmer and an advert from a supermarket advertising meat.

This, plus the non-stop promotion of meat 24/7, 365 days a year by the non-advertising BBC caused me to write to give an argument in favour of vegetarianism.

I was also prompted by seeing a lot of sad, intelligent eyes staring at me recently from a three-tier pig lorry stopped in traffic in Marfleet on the way to a slaughterhouse.

If there are any real animal-lovers who would like to make a new year resolution, then make it a lifesaving one: go veggie.

This is not only to prevent the many aspects of cruelty in factory farming, and abattoirs, but there is also human health to consider.

Well documented by national media and the World Health Organisation is the link between meat and cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

On top of that there is the threat of swine flu, salmonella, E. Coli and CJD.

Recently a 100-year-old vegetarian marathon runner completed his eighth marathon and wasn't even last.

Britain's oldest man, at 108, said it was down to him being vegetarian, and Arsenal footballer Robin van Persie said he recovered quicker from injury on a vegetarian diet.

The world is running short of water and a slaughterhouse will use as much as a small town.

There are also food shortages. The planet cannot sustain seven billion people and the estimated – probably more – 70 billion animals a year sent for slaughter. There is also the now accepted environmental damage caused by meat.

I don't understand how people make a big difference between a domestic pet and other animals with similar feelings.

When people ask "what do you eat?" I simply say "everything but dead bodies", not to be controversial, but so as not to insult their intelligence and mine by listing my massive variety of healthy foods that I eat, which are also cheaper.

It always makes me laugh when so-called experts speak frequently on radio to give advice on healthy food and always include meat. The singer Morrisey was almost right when he said "Meat is murder."